Experiencing God through obedience
10 If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love. 11 These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.
Jn 15:10-11
What is the first thing that comes to your mind when I say “obedience”?
Legalism? A way to make God happy with you? Rules? Do you groan inwardly when you hear it? Does it remind you that you are not good at it? Is it a word that inspires- ready?- happiness or joy in you? Or is it a word that inspires fear, depression, and sorrow?
Jesus seems to think that somehow this word has something to do with Joy. In the text we just read, Jesus has just laid out to the disciples some tough stuff, about being pruned, loving others, bearing fruit, and caps it off with obedience- complete obedience- and then says that these things are to result in joy, it’s all been said for their joy.
Do you see it as joy? Why does Jesus? Can we see obedience the way Jesus did? What would that look like? How would that change our lives as believers?
My goal is to help you see obedience the way Jesus saw obedience. I want to show you first that Christ’s obedience to the Father is a model for our obedience to Christ- not just in what He did, but in why He did it. It might be that we do not see obedience as joy because we are not obeying for the same reasons that Christ obeyed. And then I want to show you some ways that Jesus thought about obedience, what some of the “whys” are for Him, so that we can follow his example. I want to show you three specific ways that Jesus thought about obedience that help reveal the “whys”. One relating to love, one relating to light, and one relating to life. In these we will try and see how the Son experienced the Father through obedience, and how we can experience God through our obedience as well.
Jesus is a model for us
We all know that Jesus is a model for us, in what he did, and how he lived. But I think that Jesus is a model for us not just in what he did. We can just look at Jesus life and say “oh, he acts this way” or “he does these things”, and repeat them, and that is good to do- but maybe there is more to his example. The gospel of John seems to imply that there is a bit more than that. It is easy to make the case from the gospel of John that it is not just what Jesus does that serves as an example for us, but how he relates to the Father that serves as an example for us. What I mean is this- the incarnate Son- Jesus in the flesh- related to the Father in a special way, a way that is a model of our relationship to the Son. It is not just in our doing that we should follow his example, but in our motives. We should not just do what Jesus did, but do what he did for the same reasons he did it!
The gospel of John does lay out for us that we should mimic not just what Jesus did, but His entire relationship with the Father. We do not have time to study these passages in depth. Let me just name a few for you to show you what I mean.
- In 17:21 we are told that the Father and Son share in a Unity, and in 17:21 and 23 we are told that the Son and believers will share in unity.
- In 17:8 we are told that the Father gave words to the Son, and the Son, we are told again in 17:8, gave words to the disciples.
- In 17:18, we are told that the Father has sent the Son into the world, and in that same verse we are told that the Son is now sending the disciples into the world, in the very same way.
- In 17:22 we are told that the Father is to give the Son glory, and in that same verse we are told that the Son is to give glory to believers.
- In 5:20 we are told that the Father hides nothing from the Son, but reveals his works to him. In 15:15, guess what we are told? That the Son hides nothing from the disciples, but reveals his works to them.
Are you starting to get what I mean here about some parallels between the Father’s relationship to the son, and the Son’s relationship to believers? Look even at the verse we started off with today-
15:10 If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love.
So what is my point? My point is this- if the relationship that the Son has to the Father is a model for our relationship to the Son, then maybe we can look at how He obeyed the Father and learn about how we are to relate to Him in our obedience, and in doing so maybe we can find a way to see obedience as Jesus did- as Joy. And that is the goal of this message, to help us see obedience as Jesus saw obedience. I want us to understand what Jesus means when he talks about keeping His commandments in the same way that He has kept the Father’s commandments. Not in the degree of perfection to which we keep them, but in the motives behind why we keep them, and the relationship we have in which we keep them.
So let’s take time now and look at three ways that Jesus thought of obedience, and then look at some applications as to how we then can tie that to our obedience, and how that relates to experiencing God through our obedience, as the Son experienced God through His obedience.
Obedience and Love
The first one we will look at is Love.
Jesus makes a strong connection between his obedience to the Father and His love for the father in John 14:31.
31 but I do as the Father has commanded me, so that the world may know that I love the Father. Rise, let us go from here.Jn 14:31
He wants the world to know that He loves the Father, he wants that to be seen in his obedience. Jesus obeyed the Father because he loves the Father. Now, Jesus’ obedience was often painful, costly, not easy. But nonetheless it was the result of love. Just because love is at the heart of it does not make it easy. But the fact that it was painful and costly shows the love even more, doesn’t it?
So first we see that: Obedience is Joy when we are motivated from love to obey.
And, as we have seen, there is a pattern, because Jesus also then tells us that our obedience to Him is to be based in love.
15 “If you love me, you will keep my commandments. Jn 14:15
We are all familiar with this verse and this concept. But it should lead us to some very practical questions-
- Is your obedience to God grounded in a love for God, and do you try and ground it more and more?
- When you are faced with those moments when you need to submit like Jason talked about last week, do you look to love for God to lead you on?
We see from this that if we have an obedience problem ultimately what we have is a love problem. This is crucial to understand, especially in the midst of the cultural Christianity that pervades the day. Many are looking for solutions- how can we get Christians to obey? How can we get them to show mercy to the world? How can we get ourselves to get up and get out there and reach lost people? How can we end the constant compromise we see around us, as statistics pour out of research institutes telling us that the lives of evangelical Christians are no different than the lives of the unsaved? And many mistakes are being made to fix this. The fix for this disobedience is a renewed love for God, because an obedience problem is a love problem, and the church in America suffers from a deep, deep lack of love for her Savior. This, I believe, is because we have lost the gospel. We do not know the gospel, and without the gospel we do not come to love God.
I don’t want to preach a sermon within a sermon here, but let’s stop and realize how we get love for God. Because if we want obedience with Joy we are going to need love for the Savior. We love Him because He first loved us, we are told, and we see his love for us at the Cross. So, without an understanding of the cross, we lack a love for Jesus, and therefore lack any real motive for obedience. We are left only with things like fear or duty to motivate us.
Listen, brothers and sisters, in the scriptures we see examples of costly obedience and worship that come about as a result of an encounter with Jesus’ mercy. Consider Paul, the great cost of leaving all in his life behind and preaching Christ- why did he do it? Because of his understanding of the gospel, and the mercy he finds there-
8 Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith— Php 3:8-9
Do you see the gospel tied to his willingness to obey at great cost?
We can think of Mary in john 12 pouring a years wages of perfume out on Jesus, and why? The mercy of having her brother Lazarus raised from the dead in John 11.
We see the demon possessed man in Mark 5 set free from his possession, and the result? Jesus tells him to go and proclaim the mercies of God, and he does it all over the Greek speaking world, the first missionary in scripture!
The examples are easy to find, encountering the mercy of God, seeing that He first loves us, even when we hated him, this leads to love for God.
And so, brothers and sisters, I need to ask if your story could be found to be the same. Do you have a love for God that springs from an understanding of the mercy he has shown you? And has that resulted in an obedient life in which you do hard things for God?
But why does love for God make obedience joyful?
Is it just that we want to please him because of all he did for us? Yes, that is a part of it for sure. But it’s not just that.
We can understand why love makes obeying joyful if we understand better what God’s laws are.
I was always confused by David in the Psalms saying how he loved the law of God.
20 My soul is consumed with longing
for your rules at all times.
Ps 119:20
Why is this so? Does this sound like us? Do we love God’s rules for our life? We tend to see God’s rules as arbitrary, things he has just made up to test us perhaps. Things we have to do because God says so. But what we fail to see is that God’s rules are reflections of His character. We are told not to lie because He is truth. We are told not to cheat each other because he is Just. We are told not to kill because he is not death, he is life. His character dictates his laws, and to understand this makes his laws beautiful, if we think He is beautiful. If we love Him, if you claim to love Him this morning, you will love His laws and want to do them, because they are merely a reflection of Him. They are who He is. So the one who truly loves God truly does love His laws. And in this way we are set free by the gospel, because as we come to see the mercy given to us, our heart is changed, and now we love God, and that love for God changes us into those who love His laws as well, as we see them reflect his character. I will tell you this- the area in which you sin and struggle most will be the area in which you see the laws of God as a reflection of God’s character weakest. When we are told to obey God, we are told to be like God, to act like Him, or act in such a way that reveals His character.
Maybe an analogy will help. Let’s pretend you go to an art museum, and while you are there you see this painting that has this color in it, this blue color, that is the most beautiful thing you have ever seen in your life. You fall in love with it, you cant take your eyes off of it. There is our “love” component. Now, you go home, and what do you do? Do you paint everything the very opposite color, some red, or orange? No, not if you really love this color. You paint your room, perhaps your whole house in it! You love it! You want to make everything look like that color, because you love that color. This is obedience- when we obey we are making ourselves look like Jesus. And we want to do that because we love Him, and all that He is. It would be silly to say we love Jesus, the one who is truth, and then build our life on lies, wouldn’t it? It would be inconsistent to say we love Jesus, full of grace, and then show no mercy to those who we need to forgive, wouldn’t it? If we love him, we will obey Him, because we will want to make everything look like Him!
And that brings me to my second point.
Obedience and Light
Christ certainly obeyed the Father because he loved the Father, and we are to obey Him because we love him. But there is more to it. Christ saw obedience tied to love for sure, but he also saw it tied to light. What do I mean by “light”? I mean what you would mean when you talk about Christians being “lights” in the world. The idea of letting something be known to the world. Jesus obeyed in order to be to be a light for the Father, and that brought Him Joy!
Let me explain this. In John chapter 5 we encounter a fascinating discussion between Jesus and the Jews, in which Jesus tells the Jews basically that he does nothing of his own initiative.
19 So Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of his own accord, but only what he sees the Father doing. For whatever the Father does, that the Son does likewise. Jn 5:19
30 “I can do nothing on my own. As I hear, I judge, and my judgment is just, because I seek not my own will but the will of him who sent me. Jn 5:30
Not his own will- all that he does he does because he sees the Father doing it. He does this so perfectly that when Phillip says to Jesus in John 14 “Show us the Father” Jesus says,
9 Jesus 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’? 10 Do 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. 11 Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me, or else believe on account of the works themselves.
Jn 14:9-11
Jesus obeys the Father in order to show the Father to the world- to see Jesus is to see the Father, because he does what the Father does. Do you see where I am going with this? Later on in john 14 we find another one of our parallels- Jesus takes this relationship that he has in mimicking the Father to show him to the world and he gives it to 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?” 23 Jesus 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. 24 Whoever 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.
Jn 14:21-24
At first it seems like Jesus ignores Judas’ question. Judas asks “Lord, why are you going to manifest, or show, yourself to us and not the world?” And Jesus says “people who obey me, to them I will manifest myself.” Why?
Why did the Father show the Son all that he did? So that he could do it. Right? And why will the son show us all that He is? So we can do the same. Jesus Himself tells us that we are being sent into the world in the same way that He was sent into the world. Not that we are going to be saviors of the world, but in that we are going to put the Son on display in the same way that he put the Father on display. There are other similarities, but this is key. Look at how he speaks in chapter 15-
15 No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you. Jn 15:15
This sounds very much like chapter 5- “the Father reveals to me, and then I come and reveal to you. I saw so I could do, so that I could obey- you see, and you see so that you can obey. I manifest myself to you, now you go obey! You will experience me as you obey, as I come alongside you and reveal more and more of myself to you so that you can obey and show me off more and more!”
Do you understand how this changes how we see obedience? This is life changing if we get it. Listen, do you want to understand more and more and experience more and more of God? Then obey Him! Do not go and say to God “Lord, please, reveal more and more of your will for me and my life, please”, if you have a book full of revelation that you ignore! If you are not obeying what you already know, then get to work obeying it and showing Him to the world!
Think of it this way- go back to the paint analogy. You see this color blue, and you love it, and you paint everything with it. Now, you have this bucket of paint, let’s call the color “God”. And you have this paint brush, let’s call the paint brush “your will”, or “your actions.” Dip the brush into the bucket, and paint! You see? Not just your house- all the world!
Listen, it is great to want to just sit and stare and the blue painting. That’s good. That’s great if you want to just stare and stare at God. But, if you really love that color, and you live in a world that is red, don’t you want to make more things blue? Believers, what I am saying is this- your job is to go and paint the world by your obedience the color of God!
Are you doing it? Let me ask you- this week- what color did you paint the world? What bucket are you dipping your brush- your actions- in? Oh, that Christians would wake up and open their eyes and see that they have been using the same bucket of paint as the world. How we need to repent.
And believers, those of you in here who love God, who love to stare at the color of God, who are mesmerized by the mercy of your Savior in the gospel- do you understand how exciting obedience is when you see that what you are to do is to paint everything that color?
It should break our hearts that we live in a world that hates the color of God. They hate it. They want to erase His color from everywhere they can. In a world where every headline every day should be “God again brings the sun up upon rebels who hate him”, in a world where he constantly flows out His mercies to those who could not care less- those who say they love God should be, above all others, out there with brush in hand, painting and painting and painting. This is rebellion- obedience is rebellion against the world and it’s ways. It is being light in the midst of a people who hate light and want darkness. But how exciting that we would be given such an honor- to go and paint the world the color of God. For Joy to paint this community the color of God. Who wants in on that? Who wants to be a part of that? And listen- not the color of social justice, or the color of mercy, or the color of good deeds- the color of God! Bringing Christ’s mercy to the world in the Name of Christ for the sake of the lost, that individuals would be saved from the wrath of God, just as you were. Do you not want at least that much for them?
Do we love Him? Let’s paint everything the color of God! How? By obeying all of His commands all the time, and in living different lives before the world in the Name of Jesus!
You see, this is why it doesn’t make sense when we find Christians who say sin doesn’t matter. When they act lightly about sin, when they watch movies packed with it and laugh, when they shrug it off as if it does not matter. How can those who really love God do such things?
If we love God, we will want to be a light for Him, and obedience will be sweet and full of joy- why? Because we want the world to see Him!
I feel so bad for those who labor to try and show Christ and try and do so with no love for God, not wanting to be a light for him, just out of duty. Think of it this way- imagine a record company hires you to go out and market a music group. Your job is to go out and show the world how great this music group is. And it’s a punk rock group, and you hate punk rock. And you have to go to all this clubs, and all these underground music venues, and listen to all this music you hate, and try and talk to people about this group whose music is terrible, and you need to dress in a way that fits in, and you need to get a Mohawk and purple hair and some piercings, and you get the picture. You hate the music, you hate the band, you don’t want to show them off to the world! But what if it was your favorite band? Who had a message you really believed in, who were just amazing musicians. Do you see the difference? How many are you are like the first group, and not the second? How many are you find joy in obeying, in order to show Christ to the world?
You may be dying to experience God, dying for Him to reveal more and more of Himself to you, but you hate obedience, and don’t want to be a light for him, and you wonder why the revelation doesn’t come. Love Him, and then obey Him, and you will encounter Him more and more. What will that look like? Maybe He will call you to do something hard, and you wont know how to go about it. But you will step out in faith, and he will make the way as you go. Maybe he is saying to you “speak to your neighbor about me.” and you think “theres no way, when would I get the chance?” But do this- pray, and tell God you are willing, and you will speak, and ask for the way. And see if he does not reveal to you where he is at work! I remember one person telling me about how they were feeling a desire to give money to a certain missionary, and they just didn’t have it. So they prayed, and the next day cleaning out an envelope they found the exact amount they needed. Now, in that incident they had an encounter with God, and were given a powerful reminder of God’s mercy and provision- they were reminded, they learned, they experienced God at work!
Obedience and Life
And yet there is still one more aspect of obedience that makes it exciting and joyful!
Jesus obeys because he loves, and he obeys to be light, but he also obeys because for him it was life. It was sustenance. What I mean by “life” is that it was the most real, exciting, fulfilling thing.
Look with me at John 4-
Jesus has just spent a hot afternoon talking to a sinful woman, revealing, for the first time, that he is the Messiah. He shows mercy. He shows love. He does the work of the Father. And then look at what he says-
31 Meanwhile the disciples were urging him, saying, “Rabbi, eat.” 32 But he said to them, “I have food to eat that you do not know about.” 33 So the disciples said to one another, “Has anyone brought him something to eat?” 34 Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to accomplish his work. Jn 4:31-34
Do any of us see obedience as food? Look, we take great joy in food, don’t we? We look forward to it, it gives us energy, it often is what comforts us. Can we say any of this about obedience? Jesus said obedience is His food.
Let me see if I can explain what this is like. Because I really do think that we can experience the same thing- we can see obeying as really living, as fulfilling, as joyful. And every one of you who has ever obeyed, especially in something tough, you will know this to be true.
We as humans seek “life”- things that are really exciting, and fulfilling. You often hear people who do crazy things, like jump from planes or climb mountains or take great risks, you hear them say “now this is living!” And what do they mean? They mean it stirs them, it is energizing. I am not going to say to you that obedience is the same thing, don’t worry! All of that might just be chemicals in our brain. What I am getting at is this- we seek something more, we seek something greater, we seek to live on an edge, for a cause. To be part of a revolution. We seek life. And obeying Christ brings this- when we obey, when we truly obey, especially when there is great cost, we are really living. There is excitement, there is danger, there is discomfort, there is purpose, there is a greater cause- it just makes us feel alive- it helps us to kind of understand what Jesus means when he says it is his “food.”
I wonder if we have ever felt that as a body. I wonder if we have stepped into that Crisis of belief that Blackaby speaks about, and trusted God, and really lived? Maybe when those who first started Joy did what they did they felt it. Maybe when you went out of your comfort zone and talked to someone you didn’t know you felt it. Maybe every day as you fight and defeat sin you feel it- it is that feeling of “yes, this is right. This is God’s will.”
Maybe a good way to describe it, sadly, a way we can relate to more, is to say it is the opposite of how we feel when we sin. We feel like we have embraced death. We feel empty. Alone. Cold. Fruitless. This life I am speaking about is the opposite feeling. Sound good?
Obey.
The Time of Joy
Understand- this all does not mean that obedience is easy. Because it is joyful does not mean that it is easy. And often we will have to obey not because of any results or good things we will see right then. Sometimes there will be no feelings of life, yet it is life nonetheless. Sometimes we wont see how we are painting anything the color of God by not cheating on our taxes, or giving our tithe, or helping our neighbor fix their car, or sharing the gospel with a family member who doesn’t care. But we are. We still are. And we can in those moments obey and set our eyes on what we WILL have one day. Because brothers and sisters, a big part of the joy that comes from obedience is not found in this world. The time for joy might not always be here, it may be future. But we can hope in that, and do as Christ did-
Therefore, 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, 2 looking 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.Heb 12:1-2
So, let’s go and obey, with our eyes set to the future. Let’s go and look at His rules as reflections of Him, and lets go and paint the world the color of God, in absolute rebellion against the attempts of the enemy to remove that color from the world, and let’s go and do it in love- deep, passionate, desperate love, as we look to our Savior who loved us when we did not love Him, and who without fault obeyed the Father, and with joy laid down his life for us all.
Saturday, July 19, 2008
Sunday, July 6, 2008
Bearing Your Ring July 6 '08
Bearing your ring
Impact summer ’08 - Mark 5:1-20
They came to the other side of the sea, to the country of the Gerasenes. 2 And when Jesus had stepped out of the boat, immediately there met him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit. 3 He lived among the tombs. And no one could bind him anymore, not even with a chain, 4 for he had often been bound with shackles and chains, but he wrenched the chains apart, and he broke the shackles in pieces. No one had the strength to subdue him. 5 Night and day among the tombs and on the mountains he was always crying out and bruising himself with stones. 6 And when he saw Jesus from afar, he ran and fell down before him. 7 And crying out with a loud voice, he said, “What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I adjure you by God, do not torment me.” 8 For he was saying to him, “Come out of the man, you unclean spirit!” 9 And Jesus asked him, “What is your name?” He replied, “My name is Legion, for we are many.” 10 And he begged him earnestly not to send them out of the country. 11 Now a great herd of pigs was feeding there on the hillside,12 and they begged him, saying, “Send us to the pigs; let us enter them.” 13 So he gave them permission. And the unclean spirits came out, and entered the pigs, and the herd, numbering about two thousand, rushed down the steep bank into the sea and were drowned in the sea.
14 The herdsmen fled and told it in the city and in the country. And people came to see what it was that had happened. 15 And they came to Jesus and saw the demon-possessed man, the one who had had the legion, sitting there, clothed and in his right mind, and they were afraid. 16 And those who had seen it described to them what had happened to the demon-possessed man and to the pigs. 17 And they began to beg Jesus to depart from their region. 18 As he was getting into the boat, the man who had been possessed with demons begged him that he might be with him. 19 And he did not permit him but said to him, “Go home to your friends and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you.” 20 And he went away and began to proclaim in the Decapolis how much Jesus had done for him, and everyone marveled.
Mk 5:1-20
Where is your ring?
(clip from Lord of the Rings, The Fellowship of the Ring, 2:44:45.
FRODO- “I wish the ring had never come to me. I wish none of this had ever happened.”
GANDALF- “So do all who live to see such times, but that is not for them to decide. All you have to decide is what to do with the time that is given you.”)
Frodo’s task- take the ring of power deep into enemy territory, to do what was seemingly impossible, extremely dangerous, with little chance of success. And he accepted it, and did it. He did not stop and say “Wait- I am too young! I am too little! I cant do this! I should go and marry, and have a family, and be happy, or at least spend some time enjoying life before I perform this task!”
Now, not only would have that made a bad movie, we understand that he should not go off and enjoy his life before he performs the task with the ring, because the task of the ring, that was his life. That was what his life was for, it was what he was born for. Isn't it?
You may have never thought about what your ring is. Have you? By “Ring” I mean your big purpose in life, your task- the reason God has you here. You may have given little thought to what it is that you are going to say will define your life. Or, if you have, you might have thought of it like this- “After I get older, and go to college, and become an adult, and at least get out of high school, then I will find my ring, and carry it.”
What I want to tell you in this message is that that is a lie. That today is the day to find and carry your ring. I want to explain to you that first you have been sold a lie, a lie that says you have no ring right now, that right now is a time to waste. Second, I want to explain to you what your ring is, and then third, I want to show you how you find the will and passion to carry it now.
The lie- waste your teen years.
We have often talked about what others think of us, and I have often caused you to think about that by asking you this- “if I asked those closest to you, those you spend your days with, what you are all about, what would they say about you?”
And one reaction that I have gotten a lot from you guys is this- “They would say I don’t do bad things, that I try and be a good person.” That is frustrating to you, too, because you do not want to be known for just trying to be good. For those I have not asked before- is that what would be said of you?
I think I know why this has happened. I think that you have spent too much time trying to live what America says is a teen life, but just tried to make it Christianized. In other words, you have just tried to not break the “Christian” rules, all the while being the typical teen. What I am saying is, you have been known for what you do not do, not for what you do, because you haven’t done much. You have avoided doing a lot, but you haven’t done much, because doing things is hard, and because you are teenagers, and teenagers don’t do things. At least not important ones, right?
What does the world say a person who is in high school should do with their life? And do you think that what they say has any effect on you?
What are their expectations?
I will tell you this before I even begin- I think that you can do a lot more than the world thinks you can do. I think that people your age have the ability to change the world. But what are you being taught, and what does the world expect? What do you expect of yourself?
Did you know that the whole idea of the “teen years” as being something different than being an actual real adult is a new thing? The word “teenager” wasn’t even a word until 1941. Not that long ago people your age were beginning to live their adult lives. But all that changed about 100 or so years ago. Forced education- the removal of teens from the workplace, and forcing them to attend public schools changed all of this. Now, from the ages of 14-18, you became consumers. You were “fed”. And of course some of this was good. But some of it was not. Because what developed is a group of people in our culture that not much is expected of. You are expected to go to school, and stay our of trouble. That’s it.
If you google “Teenager”, the first links you get are very telling. Almost all the links (once you get rid of the ads for people selling things) are about problems that parents face with teens. Teens and obedience, teens and drugs, teens and pregnancy, teens and parenting, etc. It is as if you are a big problem. How can we deal with you? Let’s just keep you out of trouble until you are big boys and girls, and we will be ok. That is what is thought.
Then, add to that that there are people who realize something about you- you have something they want. Money. And no bills to spend it on. And influence in your home as to what happens- where you go on vacation, where you eat dinner, what you buy and watch and listen to.
Do you know how much money you guys spent this past year? How about 189 billion dollars? Isn't that insane? Enough to feed the starving in the world ten times over, enough to rebuild destroyed countries, enough to end a lot of misery. And guess what you spent it on?
More than half of it- that’s almost 100 billion dollars, guys- was spent on clothes, movies, and food. Now, there are people, business people, people who want a part of that 189 billion, who very, very thoughtfully are trying to get a piece of that money, and so they want you to stay a consumer from 12-19, or longer if they can get their way.
And they are getting their way, because most Americans continue today to live like a teenager until they are 25, or older, living at home, no established career, no clear direction.
So what is expected of you? Spend, consume, enjoy, do it over.
You are expected and have been brainwashed to think that these are the years for you to relax, enjoy, have some fun- you are only a teenager once! Live it up! Take the easy way out!
Did you ever have a book to read for school, and decided to just watch the movie? It’s that kind of thing. To just do what is easy, to have more time to just relax.
Take a listen to this song by switchfoot. They see this tendency in teens to just “live it up”, to do the easy thing. To just “watch the movie” instead of reading the book. To not want to change the world, or do anything drastic or hard. Is this really what your teen years are for?
Song- “chem6a”by Switchfoot
Nothing but a chemical in my head
It's nothing but laziness
Cause I don't wanna read the book
I'll watch the movie
Cause it's not me
I'm just like everybody else my age
I think I'd rather play around
And I think I'd rather watch TV
Cause I don't wanna face my fears
I'll watch the movie
Cause it's not me
I'm just like everybody else
I'm just like everybody else
Because I don't wanna be here
I don't wanna see this now
It's all wrong but it's alright
And I don't wanna be here
And I don't wanna study now
It's all wrong but it's alright
I don't know what love is
I don't know who I am
And if I ever want to find out
I'll watch the movie
Cause it's not me
I'm just like everybody else my age
I don't wanna change the world
And I don't wanna be someone
I don't wanna write the book
I'll make the movie
Cause it's not me
I'm just like everybody else
I'm just like everybody else
I don't wanna be here
I don't wanna see this now
It's all wrong but it's alright
And I don't wanna be here
And I don't wanna study now
It's all wrong but it's alright
Of course it is all wrong- of course it is wrong to waste our days just being entertained, to spend all our money on us, to waste so much, it is wrong. But it’s ok, it’s alright- that is all that is expected of you. It’s like a major accomplishment if you make your bed. It’s an earth moving moment if you are nice to a sibling. It’s wonderful beyond belief if you don’t smoke pot. Really- is this all? Is that all you think of yourselves? I bet that something inside all you guys knows that that is not all you are here for- that even now, even in your teen years, you should be living for more.
Jonathan Edwards started college at 13.
George Washington lived along on the dangerous frontier making maps of the area for the government at 17.
David Farragut, the first admiral of the navy, was 12 when he was given command of his first ship.
The disciples were most likely all very young, except for Peter. Many were probably in their teens. As well as Timothy.
They all had their ring, and they all had the passion and drive to carry it. Do you?
The Ring and the Passion
Let me show you someone else who had his ring and the passion to carry it, and through his story explain to you what your ring is, and how you can find the same passion. The passion to not be a typical American teen.
But first I think I need to point something out that is important. I am NOT trying to suggest that all I want to see in us is all of us going out and doing hard things, helping those in need, doing what is not easy or comfortable. That alone is not what I want to see, because I think it would be wrong. What I mean is, there are a lot of organizations in the world that do hard things, for wrong reasons. Unicef, the Red Cross, there are tons of them. They spend lots of money and time helping people, doing nice things, helpful things. But that is not what I am looking to create. I want to see revolution- but not that kind of revolution.
Listen- do you want your ring? Do you want to start a revolution and do it right? You must understand this- You have to have the right passion if you are going to find the right ring.
Finding the right passion
You have to have the right passion to have the right “ring”, to have the right direction for the passions and purposes of your life.
Let’s be very clear on something. I am not talking about something that is an addition to Christianity- as if we are all going to be Christians and have a million different things that are most important to us. For the Christian, there is only one most important thing. It may be expressed in many ways- some will express it in an orphanage, as we have been talking about, others in writing songs, others in studying doctrine, others in evangelism. We will all find a way that most suits us, but it will all be done for the one passion- the one ring. For the Christian this passion is showing the worth of Christ to the world, and explaining to them the good news.
2 cor 5:17-21
What I want us to avoid is first, that any of us would find a passion to do something and think we are being great Christians, when the reason we are doing what we are doing has nothing to do with God. And second, and really at the heart of what I want you to see right now, is that if we do not have these things as central in who we are, in the way we look at the world, and if these passions do not really seep into every aspect of our life, we are not followers of Jesus Christ. What I mean is, if we claim to be believers, but we look just like the world in what we are living for, the way we talk, and live, and the sense of humor we have, and the types of movies we watch, and the definitions of beauty or success we use, something is not right. Now, don’t get angry and think “well other believers live like this!”, or something else silly like that. If you want to think that you can live the same way as the world, with the same things defining you, and still be a believer, find that truth in God’s word, and convince yourself from this bible, not from other’s mouths.
The truth is, believers have a completely new mindset, a completely new definition. If we talk about revolution, and about starting a drastic change together, make sure you understand. You may hear me talk about that and think “oh, he means to be like so and so, or to not do this or that…” no, that isn’t really what I mean- here is what I mean- I mean to live in such a way that you are with all you do putting Christ on display, so that you can share the good news with other people. That’s all I mean. And if that sounds weird or strange or boring or empty or even horrible to you, there is a very good chance you are not regenerate, and do not know Him. That is a hard thing to hear, I know, but I say it in love- you need to see this, you need to understand that Christianity brings about radical changes in our lives, specifically what we are living to accomplish. What ring we carry. What mission we set out on.
Would you like to see the verse this idea shines in? Think about what Paul means here-
24 But I do not account my life of any value nor as precious to myself, if only I may finish my course and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God. Ac 20:24
He will testify, that is it. That is his ministry, and he will see it done. Otherwise, he says what he does and is is of no value at all. Do you live anything like that? That is a radical, revolutionary way to see the world, and anyone who would live that way would produce revolution all around them.
Let’s look at this more closely.
Turn back with me to Mark 5. At first this story doesn’t seem like anything we can relate to at all. A man who is possessed being set free by Christ. What in the world does this have to do with us not being typical, but instead finding our purpose and going and living for something more than what we live for now? It has everything to do with it!
In order to have the right passion to find what it is God wants you to spend yourself on, you have to have what this man had- an encounter with God. You have to have an experience of Him, as we have been talking about on Sunday mornings. There must be an encounter that changes you. And from this encounter comes your ring, and the passion, the right passion, to bear it. And the ring we talk about is not like Frodo’s, it is not a horror or and evil, and it is not such a burden. It is often painful and requires sacrifice, but it will be a joy to carry it- in fact to not carry it would be for us unthinkable. If we have the passion.
So let’s look at this guy’s encounter with God, and what happens-
I cant think of someone in a worse condition than this guy, or a more hopeless condition. He picture that mark paints for us is one of horror, and of despair. Think about it- this is a real guy, someone’s brother, someone’s son, someone’s friend. We don’t know what happened, but here he is, possessed, so much so that there is no hope that anyone can offer him. He lives in a graveyard. He cuts himself with stones, and cries out. Can you imagine living near this place? Hearing this guy cry out at night, the voice of a thousand demons coming from his throat, cutting himself, in agony, in despair. No chains can hold him, how frightening. He can not be subdued.
And he runs and falls before Jesus, knowing that Christ has the power to cast him out, and the demons implore Jesus to not cast them away, to not torture them, but to let them go into the pigs. This Jesus permits, and he frees this man from this possession.
Now, we don’t know what the immediate reaction of the possessed man was, but he was set free. And we know that not long after being set free, when Jesus went to leave, this man had a great reaction. He, according to Mark, begs Jesus for something. For what?
To be with Him. Here is first hint of a passion that is stirred in this man- he begs to be with Jesus. Have you ever had anything like that in your heart? A desperate beg, “let me just be with you.”
And Jesus tells him it is not time for that, it is time for something else- it is time for his ring.
19 And he did not permit him but said to him, “Go home to your friends and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you.” Mk 5:19
Go tell the world about the mercy that has been shown to you.
This is so helpful to us, because it helps us see a few things-
1- An encounter with God gives us the right passion to bear the ring
2- the ring that we bear will have something to do with sharing with the world the mercy that God has shown us.
3- Christ wants us to do this, though we want to simply right now be with Him, we need to go and start a revolution until He returns. He will complete that revolution when He comes back.
But all of it is grounded in this passion- the right passion points us toward the right ring- a ring, a purpose and a revolution that at the heart of it wants to show the world the mercy and goodness of Jesus Christ.
This man found the right passion in His encounter with the mercy of God. Have you? If you have encountered the mercy of God, you have the passion, and now you need to take up the ring, and go!
Encountering the mercy
Have you encountered the mercy of God? Has it given you a passion to go and bear this message to the world- “God is a God of mercy.” And has it driven you to find a way to bring that message- whether it is preaching, or ministering to the outcasts, or helping expose the lies of the world? What are you doing? Not what are you avoiding, but what are you doing? Do you find a desire to be with Christ because of your encounter with Him? Is that what you want? There is a test for the passion- have you ever just wanted to be with Him?
I think it would be helpful for you to go though what that man in this story went through.
But you aren’t possessed, you cant experience the freedom and mercy this man experienced, can you? Maybe if you had been trapped by evil, living among the dead, hurting yourself over and over, breaking every chain that tried to hold you, and maybe if in that situation you came to Christ, and He cast the demons out with such power, and looked lovingly at you, and sat with you and loved you- even took away the great penalty for your evil- granted you to become one of His beloved Children…
I have news for you- you are all very much like this man!
You also are-
trapped by evil- aren’t you? Of course, we all are. We are all born dead, in our sins, trapped. Listen- each of you- each one, you were born into this world with all the evil that was in that man living in you. You should not fear him, you should not fear the demons in the night, you should fear the evil in your heart. All the evil of hitler, of the terrorists, all the evil of all time, you are no different than it- think about that, stop and reflect on that- you were born just as evil, just as far from God, just as wicked. You are born totally, completely in sin, nothing good in you. And in that evil you are trapped. Have you ever tried to stop doing what is wrong? No matter what chains you try and bind yourself with, your evil breaks loose, and you know it.
hurting yourself over and over- he cuts himself with rocks, and you go back over and over to the sin and evil that will only lead you to death. And like him, you can not stop on your own, you have no power to end it. Oh, for a mercy that would save us from our foolishness!
You are like this man, you are trapped by evil when you are born, and unless you feel the weight of that, and understand you are hopelessly lost without Christ, condemned to die and have your part with the demons forever, unless you see that, and then understand that while you hated Him he came and rescued you, like this man, you were evil, dead, controlled by the enemy- and he cast the enemy away! There is mercy for fools like us! At this very moment, perhaps, he is preparing to do that in you- to cast the enemy away, and give you life! To change you from death to life, from doomed and cursed to a Child of God!
So you have to understand how much you were like this man. And you also have to understand something else- that the only way that mercy can be found for you, the only way that Christ can offer sinful, evil people to be God’s children is because Jesus had His own ring to bear- the Cross- and he bore it for you. He completed His task, He destroyed the power of evil, He purchased your freedom and mercy, and it is only because of what He did that you can be right in God’s eyes.
To those of you today who want His mercy, understand how great it is- there is nothing that can separate you from His love, He will purchase you and cleanse you, removing your sins from you as far as the east is from the west, and he will look upon you as His very child, though you are not yet perfect, He will clean you over and over, he will rescue you. His love will never leave you. Listen to this song and reflect on that-
Times by 10th avenue North
I know I need You
I need to love You
I love to see You, but it's been so long
I long to feel You
I feel this need for You
And I need to hear You, is that so wrong?
Now You pull me near You
When we're close, I fear You
Still I'm afraid to tell You, all that I've done
Are You done forgiving?
Or can You look past my pretending?
Lord, I'm so tired of defending what I've become
What have I become?
I hear You say,
"My love is over, It's underneath
It's inside. It's in between.
The times you doubt Me, when you can't feel.
The times that you question, 'Is this for real? '
The times you're broken.
The times that you mend.
The times that you hate Me, and the times that you bend.
Well, My love is over, it's underneath.
It's inside, it's in between.
These times you're healing, and when your heart breaks.
The times that you feel like you're falling from grace.
The times you're hurting.
The times that you heal.
The times you go hungry, and are tempted to steal.
In times of confusion, in chaos and pain.
I'm there in your sorrow, under the weight of your shame.
I'm there through your heartache.
I'm there in the storm.
My love, I will keep you, by My power alone.
I don't care where you fall, where you have been.
I'll never forsake you, My love never ends.
It never ends."
Do you understand this mercy that is given you? Have you encountered it? Is this your experience? If so, you will know it, because you will think, like this man “I want to be with you, Jesus!” And then, when he turns to you and gives you your ring, and says “Go make known to the world the mercy that has been shown to you” it will be your joy!
Revolution
I want to see revolution. I want to see you guys stand up for the truth, to find your ring, and to carry it without shame, with great passion, and all of it to show the world the mercy He has shown you. I hate to see, and it breaks my heart to see, you guys spend so much of your time in these years not living for anything worth something. Just being consumers, just being passive, just waiting to “grow up” and be real people in the real world. THIS stuff is more real than any job, any home, and marriage- this is most real- this is of the greatest importance, more than anything else.
I don’t want to see you try and do this without the right passion, it will just be frustrating for you. But if you find the passion, if He changes your heart and you become a believer, you will have this passion, and it will be time to carry your ring. And in that you will find the REAL fellowship you long for- fellowship of the ring, fellowship of the same passion to show him mercy to the world. There is one scene in the first movie, the Lord of the Rings, The Fellowship of the Ring, (1:28:58.), where Frodo stands up at the council and says “I will take it” of the ring. They are debating what should be done, who should take the ring, who should bear this work and see it done- and little Frodo stands and says “me, I will do it.”
Who here is ready to stand up and tell the world of the mercy of Jesus Christ, the lion and the lamb, the King and the servant, the God who dies for our sins, and lives again forever? What will you do?
Song- Leeland, May our Praise
May our praise be all that You can hear
From our lives to Your ears, Father
Wondrous King, You are clothed in mystery
Your hands set people free, Father
All pain is over as Your love draws us closer
Your grace goes on forever
So we sing, So we sing
Every heart should feel
The depth of Your mercy
How beautiful is Your healing, Father
And teach us, Lord, to attract You even more
We just want to be where You are
Be where you are
This is our love song to You
Father, our love song to You
We never deserved this never-ending peace
You’re a God who protects the weak
So we sing, So we sing
Impact summer ’08 - Mark 5:1-20
They came to the other side of the sea, to the country of the Gerasenes. 2 And when Jesus had stepped out of the boat, immediately there met him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit. 3 He lived among the tombs. And no one could bind him anymore, not even with a chain, 4 for he had often been bound with shackles and chains, but he wrenched the chains apart, and he broke the shackles in pieces. No one had the strength to subdue him. 5 Night and day among the tombs and on the mountains he was always crying out and bruising himself with stones. 6 And when he saw Jesus from afar, he ran and fell down before him. 7 And crying out with a loud voice, he said, “What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I adjure you by God, do not torment me.” 8 For he was saying to him, “Come out of the man, you unclean spirit!” 9 And Jesus asked him, “What is your name?” He replied, “My name is Legion, for we are many.” 10 And he begged him earnestly not to send them out of the country. 11 Now a great herd of pigs was feeding there on the hillside,12 and they begged him, saying, “Send us to the pigs; let us enter them.” 13 So he gave them permission. And the unclean spirits came out, and entered the pigs, and the herd, numbering about two thousand, rushed down the steep bank into the sea and were drowned in the sea.
14 The herdsmen fled and told it in the city and in the country. And people came to see what it was that had happened. 15 And they came to Jesus and saw the demon-possessed man, the one who had had the legion, sitting there, clothed and in his right mind, and they were afraid. 16 And those who had seen it described to them what had happened to the demon-possessed man and to the pigs. 17 And they began to beg Jesus to depart from their region. 18 As he was getting into the boat, the man who had been possessed with demons begged him that he might be with him. 19 And he did not permit him but said to him, “Go home to your friends and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you.” 20 And he went away and began to proclaim in the Decapolis how much Jesus had done for him, and everyone marveled.
Mk 5:1-20
Where is your ring?
(clip from Lord of the Rings, The Fellowship of the Ring, 2:44:45.
FRODO- “I wish the ring had never come to me. I wish none of this had ever happened.”
GANDALF- “So do all who live to see such times, but that is not for them to decide. All you have to decide is what to do with the time that is given you.”)
Frodo’s task- take the ring of power deep into enemy territory, to do what was seemingly impossible, extremely dangerous, with little chance of success. And he accepted it, and did it. He did not stop and say “Wait- I am too young! I am too little! I cant do this! I should go and marry, and have a family, and be happy, or at least spend some time enjoying life before I perform this task!”
Now, not only would have that made a bad movie, we understand that he should not go off and enjoy his life before he performs the task with the ring, because the task of the ring, that was his life. That was what his life was for, it was what he was born for. Isn't it?
You may have never thought about what your ring is. Have you? By “Ring” I mean your big purpose in life, your task- the reason God has you here. You may have given little thought to what it is that you are going to say will define your life. Or, if you have, you might have thought of it like this- “After I get older, and go to college, and become an adult, and at least get out of high school, then I will find my ring, and carry it.”
What I want to tell you in this message is that that is a lie. That today is the day to find and carry your ring. I want to explain to you that first you have been sold a lie, a lie that says you have no ring right now, that right now is a time to waste. Second, I want to explain to you what your ring is, and then third, I want to show you how you find the will and passion to carry it now.
The lie- waste your teen years.
We have often talked about what others think of us, and I have often caused you to think about that by asking you this- “if I asked those closest to you, those you spend your days with, what you are all about, what would they say about you?”
And one reaction that I have gotten a lot from you guys is this- “They would say I don’t do bad things, that I try and be a good person.” That is frustrating to you, too, because you do not want to be known for just trying to be good. For those I have not asked before- is that what would be said of you?
I think I know why this has happened. I think that you have spent too much time trying to live what America says is a teen life, but just tried to make it Christianized. In other words, you have just tried to not break the “Christian” rules, all the while being the typical teen. What I am saying is, you have been known for what you do not do, not for what you do, because you haven’t done much. You have avoided doing a lot, but you haven’t done much, because doing things is hard, and because you are teenagers, and teenagers don’t do things. At least not important ones, right?
What does the world say a person who is in high school should do with their life? And do you think that what they say has any effect on you?
What are their expectations?
I will tell you this before I even begin- I think that you can do a lot more than the world thinks you can do. I think that people your age have the ability to change the world. But what are you being taught, and what does the world expect? What do you expect of yourself?
Did you know that the whole idea of the “teen years” as being something different than being an actual real adult is a new thing? The word “teenager” wasn’t even a word until 1941. Not that long ago people your age were beginning to live their adult lives. But all that changed about 100 or so years ago. Forced education- the removal of teens from the workplace, and forcing them to attend public schools changed all of this. Now, from the ages of 14-18, you became consumers. You were “fed”. And of course some of this was good. But some of it was not. Because what developed is a group of people in our culture that not much is expected of. You are expected to go to school, and stay our of trouble. That’s it.
If you google “Teenager”, the first links you get are very telling. Almost all the links (once you get rid of the ads for people selling things) are about problems that parents face with teens. Teens and obedience, teens and drugs, teens and pregnancy, teens and parenting, etc. It is as if you are a big problem. How can we deal with you? Let’s just keep you out of trouble until you are big boys and girls, and we will be ok. That is what is thought.
Then, add to that that there are people who realize something about you- you have something they want. Money. And no bills to spend it on. And influence in your home as to what happens- where you go on vacation, where you eat dinner, what you buy and watch and listen to.
Do you know how much money you guys spent this past year? How about 189 billion dollars? Isn't that insane? Enough to feed the starving in the world ten times over, enough to rebuild destroyed countries, enough to end a lot of misery. And guess what you spent it on?
More than half of it- that’s almost 100 billion dollars, guys- was spent on clothes, movies, and food. Now, there are people, business people, people who want a part of that 189 billion, who very, very thoughtfully are trying to get a piece of that money, and so they want you to stay a consumer from 12-19, or longer if they can get their way.
And they are getting their way, because most Americans continue today to live like a teenager until they are 25, or older, living at home, no established career, no clear direction.
So what is expected of you? Spend, consume, enjoy, do it over.
You are expected and have been brainwashed to think that these are the years for you to relax, enjoy, have some fun- you are only a teenager once! Live it up! Take the easy way out!
Did you ever have a book to read for school, and decided to just watch the movie? It’s that kind of thing. To just do what is easy, to have more time to just relax.
Take a listen to this song by switchfoot. They see this tendency in teens to just “live it up”, to do the easy thing. To just “watch the movie” instead of reading the book. To not want to change the world, or do anything drastic or hard. Is this really what your teen years are for?
Song- “chem6a”by Switchfoot
Nothing but a chemical in my head
It's nothing but laziness
Cause I don't wanna read the book
I'll watch the movie
Cause it's not me
I'm just like everybody else my age
I think I'd rather play around
And I think I'd rather watch TV
Cause I don't wanna face my fears
I'll watch the movie
Cause it's not me
I'm just like everybody else
I'm just like everybody else
Because I don't wanna be here
I don't wanna see this now
It's all wrong but it's alright
And I don't wanna be here
And I don't wanna study now
It's all wrong but it's alright
I don't know what love is
I don't know who I am
And if I ever want to find out
I'll watch the movie
Cause it's not me
I'm just like everybody else my age
I don't wanna change the world
And I don't wanna be someone
I don't wanna write the book
I'll make the movie
Cause it's not me
I'm just like everybody else
I'm just like everybody else
I don't wanna be here
I don't wanna see this now
It's all wrong but it's alright
And I don't wanna be here
And I don't wanna study now
It's all wrong but it's alright
Of course it is all wrong- of course it is wrong to waste our days just being entertained, to spend all our money on us, to waste so much, it is wrong. But it’s ok, it’s alright- that is all that is expected of you. It’s like a major accomplishment if you make your bed. It’s an earth moving moment if you are nice to a sibling. It’s wonderful beyond belief if you don’t smoke pot. Really- is this all? Is that all you think of yourselves? I bet that something inside all you guys knows that that is not all you are here for- that even now, even in your teen years, you should be living for more.
Jonathan Edwards started college at 13.
George Washington lived along on the dangerous frontier making maps of the area for the government at 17.
David Farragut, the first admiral of the navy, was 12 when he was given command of his first ship.
The disciples were most likely all very young, except for Peter. Many were probably in their teens. As well as Timothy.
They all had their ring, and they all had the passion and drive to carry it. Do you?
The Ring and the Passion
Let me show you someone else who had his ring and the passion to carry it, and through his story explain to you what your ring is, and how you can find the same passion. The passion to not be a typical American teen.
But first I think I need to point something out that is important. I am NOT trying to suggest that all I want to see in us is all of us going out and doing hard things, helping those in need, doing what is not easy or comfortable. That alone is not what I want to see, because I think it would be wrong. What I mean is, there are a lot of organizations in the world that do hard things, for wrong reasons. Unicef, the Red Cross, there are tons of them. They spend lots of money and time helping people, doing nice things, helpful things. But that is not what I am looking to create. I want to see revolution- but not that kind of revolution.
Listen- do you want your ring? Do you want to start a revolution and do it right? You must understand this- You have to have the right passion if you are going to find the right ring.
Finding the right passion
You have to have the right passion to have the right “ring”, to have the right direction for the passions and purposes of your life.
Let’s be very clear on something. I am not talking about something that is an addition to Christianity- as if we are all going to be Christians and have a million different things that are most important to us. For the Christian, there is only one most important thing. It may be expressed in many ways- some will express it in an orphanage, as we have been talking about, others in writing songs, others in studying doctrine, others in evangelism. We will all find a way that most suits us, but it will all be done for the one passion- the one ring. For the Christian this passion is showing the worth of Christ to the world, and explaining to them the good news.
2 cor 5:17-21
What I want us to avoid is first, that any of us would find a passion to do something and think we are being great Christians, when the reason we are doing what we are doing has nothing to do with God. And second, and really at the heart of what I want you to see right now, is that if we do not have these things as central in who we are, in the way we look at the world, and if these passions do not really seep into every aspect of our life, we are not followers of Jesus Christ. What I mean is, if we claim to be believers, but we look just like the world in what we are living for, the way we talk, and live, and the sense of humor we have, and the types of movies we watch, and the definitions of beauty or success we use, something is not right. Now, don’t get angry and think “well other believers live like this!”, or something else silly like that. If you want to think that you can live the same way as the world, with the same things defining you, and still be a believer, find that truth in God’s word, and convince yourself from this bible, not from other’s mouths.
The truth is, believers have a completely new mindset, a completely new definition. If we talk about revolution, and about starting a drastic change together, make sure you understand. You may hear me talk about that and think “oh, he means to be like so and so, or to not do this or that…” no, that isn’t really what I mean- here is what I mean- I mean to live in such a way that you are with all you do putting Christ on display, so that you can share the good news with other people. That’s all I mean. And if that sounds weird or strange or boring or empty or even horrible to you, there is a very good chance you are not regenerate, and do not know Him. That is a hard thing to hear, I know, but I say it in love- you need to see this, you need to understand that Christianity brings about radical changes in our lives, specifically what we are living to accomplish. What ring we carry. What mission we set out on.
Would you like to see the verse this idea shines in? Think about what Paul means here-
24 But I do not account my life of any value nor as precious to myself, if only I may finish my course and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God. Ac 20:24
He will testify, that is it. That is his ministry, and he will see it done. Otherwise, he says what he does and is is of no value at all. Do you live anything like that? That is a radical, revolutionary way to see the world, and anyone who would live that way would produce revolution all around them.
Let’s look at this more closely.
Turn back with me to Mark 5. At first this story doesn’t seem like anything we can relate to at all. A man who is possessed being set free by Christ. What in the world does this have to do with us not being typical, but instead finding our purpose and going and living for something more than what we live for now? It has everything to do with it!
In order to have the right passion to find what it is God wants you to spend yourself on, you have to have what this man had- an encounter with God. You have to have an experience of Him, as we have been talking about on Sunday mornings. There must be an encounter that changes you. And from this encounter comes your ring, and the passion, the right passion, to bear it. And the ring we talk about is not like Frodo’s, it is not a horror or and evil, and it is not such a burden. It is often painful and requires sacrifice, but it will be a joy to carry it- in fact to not carry it would be for us unthinkable. If we have the passion.
So let’s look at this guy’s encounter with God, and what happens-
I cant think of someone in a worse condition than this guy, or a more hopeless condition. He picture that mark paints for us is one of horror, and of despair. Think about it- this is a real guy, someone’s brother, someone’s son, someone’s friend. We don’t know what happened, but here he is, possessed, so much so that there is no hope that anyone can offer him. He lives in a graveyard. He cuts himself with stones, and cries out. Can you imagine living near this place? Hearing this guy cry out at night, the voice of a thousand demons coming from his throat, cutting himself, in agony, in despair. No chains can hold him, how frightening. He can not be subdued.
And he runs and falls before Jesus, knowing that Christ has the power to cast him out, and the demons implore Jesus to not cast them away, to not torture them, but to let them go into the pigs. This Jesus permits, and he frees this man from this possession.
Now, we don’t know what the immediate reaction of the possessed man was, but he was set free. And we know that not long after being set free, when Jesus went to leave, this man had a great reaction. He, according to Mark, begs Jesus for something. For what?
To be with Him. Here is first hint of a passion that is stirred in this man- he begs to be with Jesus. Have you ever had anything like that in your heart? A desperate beg, “let me just be with you.”
And Jesus tells him it is not time for that, it is time for something else- it is time for his ring.
19 And he did not permit him but said to him, “Go home to your friends and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you.” Mk 5:19
Go tell the world about the mercy that has been shown to you.
This is so helpful to us, because it helps us see a few things-
1- An encounter with God gives us the right passion to bear the ring
2- the ring that we bear will have something to do with sharing with the world the mercy that God has shown us.
3- Christ wants us to do this, though we want to simply right now be with Him, we need to go and start a revolution until He returns. He will complete that revolution when He comes back.
But all of it is grounded in this passion- the right passion points us toward the right ring- a ring, a purpose and a revolution that at the heart of it wants to show the world the mercy and goodness of Jesus Christ.
This man found the right passion in His encounter with the mercy of God. Have you? If you have encountered the mercy of God, you have the passion, and now you need to take up the ring, and go!
Encountering the mercy
Have you encountered the mercy of God? Has it given you a passion to go and bear this message to the world- “God is a God of mercy.” And has it driven you to find a way to bring that message- whether it is preaching, or ministering to the outcasts, or helping expose the lies of the world? What are you doing? Not what are you avoiding, but what are you doing? Do you find a desire to be with Christ because of your encounter with Him? Is that what you want? There is a test for the passion- have you ever just wanted to be with Him?
I think it would be helpful for you to go though what that man in this story went through.
But you aren’t possessed, you cant experience the freedom and mercy this man experienced, can you? Maybe if you had been trapped by evil, living among the dead, hurting yourself over and over, breaking every chain that tried to hold you, and maybe if in that situation you came to Christ, and He cast the demons out with such power, and looked lovingly at you, and sat with you and loved you- even took away the great penalty for your evil- granted you to become one of His beloved Children…
I have news for you- you are all very much like this man!
You also are-
trapped by evil- aren’t you? Of course, we all are. We are all born dead, in our sins, trapped. Listen- each of you- each one, you were born into this world with all the evil that was in that man living in you. You should not fear him, you should not fear the demons in the night, you should fear the evil in your heart. All the evil of hitler, of the terrorists, all the evil of all time, you are no different than it- think about that, stop and reflect on that- you were born just as evil, just as far from God, just as wicked. You are born totally, completely in sin, nothing good in you. And in that evil you are trapped. Have you ever tried to stop doing what is wrong? No matter what chains you try and bind yourself with, your evil breaks loose, and you know it.
hurting yourself over and over- he cuts himself with rocks, and you go back over and over to the sin and evil that will only lead you to death. And like him, you can not stop on your own, you have no power to end it. Oh, for a mercy that would save us from our foolishness!
You are like this man, you are trapped by evil when you are born, and unless you feel the weight of that, and understand you are hopelessly lost without Christ, condemned to die and have your part with the demons forever, unless you see that, and then understand that while you hated Him he came and rescued you, like this man, you were evil, dead, controlled by the enemy- and he cast the enemy away! There is mercy for fools like us! At this very moment, perhaps, he is preparing to do that in you- to cast the enemy away, and give you life! To change you from death to life, from doomed and cursed to a Child of God!
So you have to understand how much you were like this man. And you also have to understand something else- that the only way that mercy can be found for you, the only way that Christ can offer sinful, evil people to be God’s children is because Jesus had His own ring to bear- the Cross- and he bore it for you. He completed His task, He destroyed the power of evil, He purchased your freedom and mercy, and it is only because of what He did that you can be right in God’s eyes.
To those of you today who want His mercy, understand how great it is- there is nothing that can separate you from His love, He will purchase you and cleanse you, removing your sins from you as far as the east is from the west, and he will look upon you as His very child, though you are not yet perfect, He will clean you over and over, he will rescue you. His love will never leave you. Listen to this song and reflect on that-
Times by 10th avenue North
I know I need You
I need to love You
I love to see You, but it's been so long
I long to feel You
I feel this need for You
And I need to hear You, is that so wrong?
Now You pull me near You
When we're close, I fear You
Still I'm afraid to tell You, all that I've done
Are You done forgiving?
Or can You look past my pretending?
Lord, I'm so tired of defending what I've become
What have I become?
I hear You say,
"My love is over, It's underneath
It's inside. It's in between.
The times you doubt Me, when you can't feel.
The times that you question, 'Is this for real? '
The times you're broken.
The times that you mend.
The times that you hate Me, and the times that you bend.
Well, My love is over, it's underneath.
It's inside, it's in between.
These times you're healing, and when your heart breaks.
The times that you feel like you're falling from grace.
The times you're hurting.
The times that you heal.
The times you go hungry, and are tempted to steal.
In times of confusion, in chaos and pain.
I'm there in your sorrow, under the weight of your shame.
I'm there through your heartache.
I'm there in the storm.
My love, I will keep you, by My power alone.
I don't care where you fall, where you have been.
I'll never forsake you, My love never ends.
It never ends."
Do you understand this mercy that is given you? Have you encountered it? Is this your experience? If so, you will know it, because you will think, like this man “I want to be with you, Jesus!” And then, when he turns to you and gives you your ring, and says “Go make known to the world the mercy that has been shown to you” it will be your joy!
Revolution
I want to see revolution. I want to see you guys stand up for the truth, to find your ring, and to carry it without shame, with great passion, and all of it to show the world the mercy He has shown you. I hate to see, and it breaks my heart to see, you guys spend so much of your time in these years not living for anything worth something. Just being consumers, just being passive, just waiting to “grow up” and be real people in the real world. THIS stuff is more real than any job, any home, and marriage- this is most real- this is of the greatest importance, more than anything else.
I don’t want to see you try and do this without the right passion, it will just be frustrating for you. But if you find the passion, if He changes your heart and you become a believer, you will have this passion, and it will be time to carry your ring. And in that you will find the REAL fellowship you long for- fellowship of the ring, fellowship of the same passion to show him mercy to the world. There is one scene in the first movie, the Lord of the Rings, The Fellowship of the Ring, (1:28:58.), where Frodo stands up at the council and says “I will take it” of the ring. They are debating what should be done, who should take the ring, who should bear this work and see it done- and little Frodo stands and says “me, I will do it.”
Who here is ready to stand up and tell the world of the mercy of Jesus Christ, the lion and the lamb, the King and the servant, the God who dies for our sins, and lives again forever? What will you do?
Song- Leeland, May our Praise
May our praise be all that You can hear
From our lives to Your ears, Father
Wondrous King, You are clothed in mystery
Your hands set people free, Father
All pain is over as Your love draws us closer
Your grace goes on forever
So we sing, So we sing
Every heart should feel
The depth of Your mercy
How beautiful is Your healing, Father
And teach us, Lord, to attract You even more
We just want to be where You are
Be where you are
This is our love song to You
Father, our love song to You
We never deserved this never-ending peace
You’re a God who protects the weak
So we sing, So we sing
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