Monday, May 2, 2011

By Request: Sunday's Sermon

Several folks asked me to post yesterday's sermon (5/1/2011). Each has interest in it for a different reason. Here it is in its entirety:

Got Jesus? Moving from Religion to Relationship
Mark 1:1-14; Matthew 24:1-4

Religion can be a very good thing. Religion, often marked by special ritual and traditional routine, provides a means of expressing one’s thoughts and understanding of the eternal. Ritual offers tangible connections with intangible realities. Tradition and routine can bring real comfort in chaotic times. But when practicing religion becomes a substitute for a personal relationship with God, religion becomes a problem. Religion should open a pathway to God, but when we let it become a fortress in which we hide from God, then change is called for.

If religion has become our hiding place, if religion has simply become a set of constants that lull us into spiritual complacency, then when the day of persecution or adversity comes, our fortress will fall. Our hiding place will be overwhelmed.

Religion becomes a hiding place when we use ritual and routine to avoid God. For instance, some people trust that their weekly attendance at worship services is all the attention they need to pay God. They spend little time in prayer, little time studying and reflecting on God’s word, little time putting into practice the few tidbits of spiritual food that falls by their heart’s table.

Other people count on a long history of attachment to a theology to carry them on their spiritual journey. They believe as long as they generally conduct themselves as “Baptists,” for instance, their duty to faith and obedience is fulfilled. For them, they need not look for any pertinent word from God today, because they have what they have always had, and what their fathers before them had, and that, surely, is enough.

Others for whom religion has become a hiding place, sing the songs, and make the offerings, and do the ministries. They are publically redolent in their faith, but personally, privately, their hearts are filled with doubt and fear. They live just hoping that if somehow they present the right face and do the right things, that someday God will be happy with them, maybe . . . perhaps . . . but they’re not sure.

Still others use religion to mask anger, jealousy, rage, despair. They hide the darkness of their hearts in the light of grace, never actually letting grace into their lives, else they would have nothing left of their old selves to hold on to. Religion is not a pathway to peace, but a prison for the soul, where the sinful nature is whitewashed and pretty, but down deep they are tombs of death full of dead men’s bones.

For the deepening of true, life-giving faith today and for victory over death, and sin, and the devil tomorrow, we must, each of us must, all of us must move from mere religion to a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Otherwise, what will happen when ritual fails? What will we do when routine falters? Christians, we must move from mere religion to personal relationship with God through Spirit-inaugurated faith in and wholehearted devotion to Jesus Christ!

The Bible demands of us that we “examine ourselves to see whether we are in the faith.” Again, the imperative directed to us implores, “Therefore let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall” (1Co 10:12, ESV). And again, Paul directs us, “Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling” (Php 2:12, ESV). Each of these directives can be understood in the larger context of the New Testament as a provocation from God to be continually on the move from mere religion to a vital, authentic, biblical relationship with God through Christ.

The question we face, then, is an eternally important one. If we answer it wrongly, we will simply build more layers of religion that will insulate us even further from the relationship God plans for us. The question is, “How? How do I move from religion to relationship, especially when I think my religion is my relationship? How do I engage in an authentic relationship with Jesus when all along I’ve thought that the traditions, and rituals, and routines, and theologies were supposed to accomplish exactly that?”

That question is the question the Gospel of Mark sets out to answer. Probably written by John Mark shortly after the death of the apostle Peter at the hands of the Romans in 64 or 65 AD, this gospel paints a clear picture of Jesus for the Christians in Rome who will themselves soon face severe persecution under the emperor Nero. Mark purposes to show the church how to stand in faith under the most severe pressure to recant, to give up, to give in. The message of this gospel is simple: know this Jesus, the Son of God, and you will face persecution, even death, just as He did, with grace, truth, and in the power of the Holy Spirit.

We’re going to spend some time here in the Gospel of Mark. We are going to share Mark’s purpose: to know Jesus in order to leave mere religion behind (as the Pharisees should have) and enter into a relationship with the Son of God that will change our lives, and through us, call the whole world to Him (as did the disciples of Jesus’ day, and all those wholehearted disciples since.)

It may well be that the church in America stands on the eve of a wave of persecution such as it has never experienced before. The church throughout the world, as they have given themselves without reservation in faith to Jesus, has suffered. The global church that knows Jesus the way he intends to be known, knows suffering. They have come to know him and love him even more deeply in and through their sufferings. And there is much evidence that suggests the church in America will share in these sufferings in the days ahead. Believe me when I tell you, life cannot, and will not continue as it has, with the world quietly assimilating the church and the church quietly acquiescing to the world. The Bible promises a day when God himself will “purify the sons of Levi.” Paul reminds us that Christ is active in the world today preparing a Bride for himself, “without spot or wrinkle.” That Bride is the church, and that church will be pure and holy and blameless.

Kate Middleton may have chosen to wear white on her wedding day, but after ten years of living with William it is unlikely she deserved to wear white. However, God will work in the church and when Christ takes his Bride she will deserve to wear the white robes of righteousness in which he will dress her for eternity. How will this purification take place? Jesus explained it to his disciples in Matthew 24.

[READ MATTHEW 24:1-14]

Jesus taught his disciples about the “signs of [his] coming and the end of the age.” He speaks to them of false Messiahs, of wars and rumors of wars, of nation and kingdom rising up against nation and kingdom, of famines and earthquakes in various places. Let your mind think of the civil unrest in the Middle East, the increasing frequency of earthquakes around the globe, the famines, both physical and spiritual, that plague the peoples of the world. All these things we can document today, even as happening within the last few months. But Jesus said of these things, they are just the beginning of the birth pains. They are just the onset of labor, the twinges that capture your attention and let you know something momentous is on its way. He goes on to tell of conditions when full labor sets in.

Brothers and sisters, persecution of Christians characterizes full labor. Jesus tells his disciples they will be delivered up to tribulation and put to death. He warns them they will be hated by all nations for his name’s sake. Let me tell you, friends, mere religion will not be adequate in the day when persecution breaks out against the church! Jesus said, “At that time many will fall away and betray one another and hate one another.” We ought to gasp for breath at this teaching! Jesus shows us that persecution will not only arise outside the church.  It will also burst out within the church.

Even today people sit in churches with other people they hate. Their hearts are filled with bitterness and rage, which Jesus said is the same as murder. People name the name of Christ, but hold grudges against their brothers and sisters in the Lord. One day, the hatred that today boils silently beneath the surface will burst out. One day, unforgiveness will bring forth its offspring: jealousy, accusation, persecution, and death. Like the huge volcano that exists beneath Yellowstone, or the mother of all earthquakes that will send California tumbling into the ocean, resentment and bitterness foment in the heart waiting for the day of their release. And that day will come. Listen, what we are in hearts, what we are when no one is looking but God, that’s what we truly are. Jesus said, “Out of the heart come the things that defile a man.” If the heart is bad, so is the man. Fresh water does not flow from a salt water spring.

Merely religious people, people who have lived the routine and practiced the ritual will suddenly turn on one another like ravenous wolves on a weak, old moose. Betrayal rather than loyalty, and hatred rather than love will devastate the church. Many false prophets will arise to attempt to justify themselves in their error with error. And many who have practiced religion but neglected their relationship will be led astray.

Now listen.  This is Jesus talking. He’s talking to his disciples. He’s talking to those he loves and those who genuinely love him back. He is teaching them. He is preparing them and preparing us for what is coming. Christ demonstrated his love for us on the cross, but he also expressed his love for us by teaching us what we needed to know to love him and stand in him in the day when faith is challenged to the core.

He says to us that in that day, as it already is in our day, lawlessness will increase. This doesn’t mean criminals will multiply. It doesn’t mean we will have more murderers, more rapists, more thieves, more drug addicts, even though that may be an outcome of lawlessness. What Jesus means is that people will increasingly jettison God’s moral law as a personal and social guideline. Neither the public court nor the private heart will have room for God’s commandments. Lawlessness means people will increasingly deny and reject God’s claim on their lives. And because of this increasing lawlessness, the love of many will grow cold. Listen now! Jesus is speaking of the love of many in the church! Many who have laid claim to Jesus and professed faith will prove to have been merely practicing religion. They will be revealed as nothing more than modern day Pharisees having a form of religion but lacking the power thereof. These same people will abandon God and His word. The love they will have seemed to have had will fade away and their true hearts will be revealed.

Ritual will fail. Routine will falter. Mere religion will flounder. And what then?

Jesus says, “The one who endures to the end will be saved.” The one for whom faith is not mere religion but a true relationship will be rescued, delivered, saved in and through these persecutions. How? How will Christ’s disciples be saved? The Gospel of Mark tells us: through the good news of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. At the end of the parallel passage in Mark’s gospel he states the purpose of the entire book: “Everyone will hate you because of me, but those who stand firm to the end will be saved.” Stand firm. Stand firm in Jesus. Stand firm in this one whom you know in your heart and soul by faith. Stand firm in him on whom you have staked your life because he gave his life for you. Stand firm in this one, the knowledge of whom will give you the will and the heart to stand.

Several years ago an ad campaign burst on the scene that had an amazingly effective outreach. You’ve very likely seen the ads featuring prominent sports, movie, and television stars wearing a while milk mustache and asking the question, “Got milk?” The ads, created by Goodby, Silverstein and Partners, first began running October 24, 1993. Today the creators of that ad claim it has 90% awareness in the US. That means nine out of 10 Americans will think of their ad if you walk up to them and say, “Got milk?”

Do you know what I mean if I pose the question to you, “Got Jesus?” Do you know and have a personal relationship with this Jesus, whom Mark introduces in the opening paragraphs of his gospel as the Son of God who is greater than the greatest prophet. Jesus offers a baptism greater than even the baptism of John, which was wildly accepted? Jesus bestows God the Holy Spirit. Jesus brings God from heavenly theory to personal experience.

 Do you really, truly have a relationship with the One whom God Himself claimed as His beloved Son at his baptism? Imagine, God Himself declares Jesus to be his own beloved Son, and you can know him, love him, be led by him, and through the working of the Spirit, become like him.

Are you in love this morning with this man from God, who faced temptation at the hands of Satan himself and was sustained in the aftermath of the challenge by angels from heaven? Temptation comes from both the outside and the inside and is the ever present potential to disregard God and take our lives into our own hands. Jesus faced temptation from Satan himself. And Jesus won. Jesus remained faithful, so completely faithful that wild animals didn’t eat him and angels took care of him.

Honestly, where are you this morning? Wrapped up in a religion or deep in a relationship?

Have you repented and been baptized with God’s Holy Spirit? Have you believed and accepted with all your heart that God’s beloved Son is your beloved Savior? Do you face the temptations that come from outside you and inside you through the power you gain from your deep love of Jesus? Do you have a mere religion that concedes these things are needy, but not for you, or do you have that relationship with this Jesus that would never let an unrepentant heart, or lovelessness, or lawlessness come between you and Jesus?

The Lord has indicated that for some of you, this may be the last opportunity you will have to respond to the message of repentance. For years you’ve hidden behind a screen of dishonesty and pretense regarding the true condition of your soul. You’ve claimed a relationship, but in truth you have little more than a self-centered religion. Your heart has longed for more, but like Pilate who crucified Jesus, you’ve been guided more by pride in your reputation than any real urgency to do right by Jesus. The word for you today is a final mercy before judgment comes.

Repent. Let nothing keep you from accepting God’s new life in Christ. Confess your sins. Turn from your self-centered religion and Spirit-quenching ways. Acknowledge Jesus as your Lord and Savior once and for all. Receive the Holy Spirit on His terms. Now is the appointed time. Today is the day of salvation. There is no other sacrifice for you than the one Jesus made on the cross. No amount of good works done under false pretense will save you from the wrath of God that is coming on the children of obedience. No language of the Spirit will save the heart that turns from Jesus to follow its own way. God knows what you have claimed to be and God knows what you truly are.

He will separate the sheep from the goats according to his knowledge, not of their deeds, but of their hearts. Their religion will not stand when God compares its eternal value against a faithful relationship to His Son. Some of you are trusting in a broken reed, and God says it will pierce your hand unless you repent. Though you have done good things, if there is no true relationship, he will say to you, “Depart from me, you workers of iniquity. I never knew you.”

Some of you in this very room know God’s Spirit is speaking these very words to you, and you are building resistance in your heart against them. You want to reject the word because Dale McIntire is speaking it. I urge you, do not. The messenger is nothing.  The message is everything. You want to reject this good word this morning because you do not trust Cornerstone to surround you, and love you, and support you. I urge you, do not reject this word from God. Even if Cornerstone Community Church fails you, God will not fail you. The Spirit will not fail you. You want to dismiss this word because you will have to rewrite your reputation in your family, among your friends, and out in the community. No one knows the struggle you’ve endured. You don’t want them to know. I urge you, do not dismiss the Spirit and the call that echo in your soul today. The peoples of this world need nothing so much as to see the real transforming, forgiving, life-giving grace God offers those who will turn over their hearts, their secret loves and lives to him.

You have every reason to repent today and no real reason to resist. Yield to God’s Spirit as He calls to you and invites you to relinquish your religion and take up a new relationship with Jesus. Yield to mercy. Yield to grace. Before the invitation is withdrawn, before God closes the book, before the opportunity passes, repent and turn to Christ with all your heart.

God loves you so much and wants this relationship with you, this relationship that makes sense of and gives substance to true religion. In his mercy he sent His Son, Jesus, to take on himself the punishment for sin so that his judgment would be no obstacle to this relationship. By his grace, he sends his Spirit to woo and invite us, to entreat us and empower us to respond to God’s desire for a covenant with us. He declares in his word, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” If we will but take our loving and holy God at his word, he will work on behalf of His Son to change our lives, to forgive our sins and wipe away our debt, to set us on the right track in a right relationship with him where Christ is our exalted head and God is our goal.

Have you “Got Jesus?” this morning, truly? Is God’s grace a living reality in your heart? Do you have his hope, his peace, his joy, or are you striving day after day to produce a replica, a copy, a fake? His love is here. God is here. Take the step today and move by faith from religion to relationship.