Something in the Water

And so John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. The whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem went out to him. Confessing their sins, they were baptized by him in the Jordan River. John wore clothing made of camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey. And this was his message: “After me comes the one more powerful than I, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie. I baptize you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.” 

At that time Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. Just as Jesus was coming up out of the water, he saw heaven being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove. And a voice came from heaven: “You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.” (Mark 1:4-11)

The book of Mark begins with this story…the story of John and of Jesus’ baptism.

John, like the prophets of the Old Testament, was preaching about repentance. Repentance. Not just asking for forgiveness, but having a change of heart so that one turns from, stops, doing something. It’s an internal change that results in a change of behavior…not the other way around.

Do you know people who have tried to make changes in their lives…only to fall back into old habits and fail miserably? Behavioral change is hard…maybe impossible…without a change of heart.

It’s New Year’s resolution time again. It’s a time when people reflect on their lives and determine that they will make changes for a fresh start in the new year. And we all have changes we want or need to make. However, most of us will not be very resolute.

Although we want different outcomes, we won’t have the deep change of heart that is needed to make lasting and meaningful change. We may chase an ideal by trying to eat less and exercise more, but unless there is an internal change to be a healthy person, we will not succeed. If we have internalized (whether consciously or not) that food makes us happy, secure, and whole (or alcohol, or gambling, or drugs, or sex, or fame, or spending), our battle against our vice cannot be won.

In fact, I would argue that only God can provide that change of heart. Only God can provide the happiness, security, and wholeness that we are seeking.

For many people, that change of heart comes through a crisis.

Although I do not believe that God causes bad things to happen, I do believe that God uses those things we see as bad or evil to help shape us when they do happen. After all, we are told in the book of Romans that “we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”

Each of the vices I mentioned earlier can lead to such a crisis…not at God’s doing, but at our own. For example, overeating can lead to multiple life-threatening health problems. Drinking can lead to bad choices as well as internal physical damage. Gambling and spending can lead to deception, thievery, and bankruptcy. The list goes on and on.

Allow me to give you an example.

I have a dear friend who sought happiness through the party scene. Although he was married and had children, he was a drug user and alcohol abuser. These two vices often impaired his ability to make good decisions. And when he made a bad decision, he would turn back to drugs and alcohol for the comfort, happiness, and wholeness that he knew he needed.

He lost his wife and his children through divorce. It finally came to a head when he was in a nearly fatal accident while under the influence. But God met my friend in this crisis. God nurtured him through this crisis. And, ultimately, God changed his heart.

I’m not going to say it was easy. It wasn’t. But the change he experienced was so deep and so strong, that he was able to truly repent. And he has been blessed.

My friend remarried. His relationships with his ex-wife and his children have been repaired. Not only does he serve others through his church, but many lucky foster children also call him “Daddy”. And he praises God daily and publicly for all of these things. 

This man repented with true repentance. There was a change in his heart that led to a change in his life. Lasting change.

However, not all crises that we go through are our fault. Sometimes we must deal with a crisis brought on by someone else’s bad decisions. And, sometimes, in this fallen world, bad things just happen—illness, natural disasters, accidents, etc.

But when we find ourselves coping with the devastation of a crisis, self-inflicted or otherwise, God uses the situation to lead us to repentance. He uses it to change us internally, to change our hearts.

Let me give you another example.

Recently some friends of mine lost their daughter in a car accident. Don and Renee Beesley’s daughter, Montana, was ripped from their family. It was no one’s fault. There were no drugs or alcohol involved. Montana and her family loved God, served God, were involved in their church, and spoke openly about Jesus Christ.

And yet, here they were, the father, mother, and two younger sisters, facing a crisis…the worst nightmare of any parent.

But remember that verse from earlier: “We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” How in the world could God use this for good?

I remember praying for Don and Renee. I remember praying that God would give them strength and help them respond in a way that would bring glory to Him. And this is exactly what they did.

They celebrated their daughter’s life and her deep faith. They praised God for the gift of her life. They thanked Him for the lessons that she taught them in 15 short years about being strong and persistent and faithful. She had introduced Christ to so many throughout her life.

I talked to Renee, Tana’s mom, last night. She shared this with me.

“She touched more lives than we ever knew, she once told us that she probably knew someone in every town from Hugoton to Wichita and we laughed at her; but after over 1,200 people came to remember her, we figured she might have been right.

"I have had young people message me that live in Wichita. One said she knew what kind of person Tana was and she wanted to get right with the Lord, so I set her up with my sister in Wichita and they went to church together. Another girl I don't know Facebook messaged me and said she went out to the cemetery and had a long talk with Tana and gave her life to the Lord.

"Just four nights ago at midnight I received a Facebook message from a high school boy who had overdosed and was so sad until he heard singing and followed and he saw Montana. He said she saved his life.

"One day we were shopping in brass buckle and Tana noticed the young man helping us was cutting himself so she talked with him about how much God loved him. He was an atheist, but she assured him God loved him and she cared about him. I went in there earlier this week and he remembered her and we visited about their conversation and I noticed his cutting scars were healed.”

Have you ever seen an alter call at a funeral? I haven’t. But these parents asked for one. The church was packed, as Renee indicated, and so many came up to give their lives to Christ during the service that those in attendance couldn’t keep count. This young lady brought more people to Christ in death than most of us will throughout our lives.

God used this crisis for repentance. He used this crisis to change hearts. I was brought to tears by the realization that even these Christ-loving, God-fearing parents were brought to repentance. Listen to Renee’s words:

“We miss Tana more than we can express, but for the first time I understand ‘God's peace that passes all understanding’ and I also understand this world is not my home.  I have loved this world a little too much, but now I feel unfastened and can't wait for my whole family to be together in heaven soon. We are assured every day that Tana’s life and death were not in vane as God continues to use her even through her passing.”

This is what John preached about…change, real change. Baptism was not something new. Baptism had been around for a while and was symbolic of cleansing and a clean, new beginning. But John preached of a baptism of repentance.

And Jesus came. Jesus came…and was baptized. Was he repentant? He was sinless! Wasn’t this unnecessary and irrelevant?

No. Nothing Jesus did was unnecessary or irrelevant. According to theologians, Jesus had four necessary and relevant reasons for being baptized by his cousin, John.

First, it was a moment of decision.

Jesus was somewhere around 30 years old. Although we don’t know much at all about those young years, we do know that he was trained as a carpenter and had stayed in Nazareth…working at a normal daily job but surely knowing that He was called to more. So he waited for that sign the he knew would come that would lead him out into the world.

That sign was John. When Jesus chose to go to John, the very man who was preaching of his imminent arrival, he made his decision.

Secondly, it was a moment of identification.

By coming forward in John’s movement, Jesus identified himself with the movement. He identified himself with the need for repentance and baptism. He identified himself with the Godward movement of the people.

And this was also a moment of approval.

Jesus had left his home…everything he knew and everyone he loved. Although we know that he was fully God on earth, we must remember that he was also fully human.

If you had left your family, your job, your hometown, and were out on your own trying to do what you felt you were called to do…wouldn’t you be terrified? Can you imagine the questions he must’ve had: How will I eat? Where will I sleep? Who will love me? Will I be safe? Will my mother and siblings be okay without me there?

Jesus did not take the decision lightly. He must have felt very strongly about his decision. But even when we feel compelled, even when we feel certain, there is always that little bit of doubt and fear that eat at us.

Well, if Jesus was fighting that last little bit of doubt and fear, God put that to rest when he told him, “You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.”

Listen to those words again. God spoke to Jesus…not to the crowd, not to John, not to the world. These words were spoken to Jesus…a reassurance to him. “You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.”

And, finally, this was a moment of equipment.

It was at this time, this moment, that God equipped Jesus for his ministry—“the spirit descended on him like a dove.” Like a dove.

A dove is symbolic of gentleness throughout the Bible. This simile was intentional and specific. Although John’s ministry was a message of doom, wrath, vengeance, and a consuming fire, Jesus’ ministry would be marked by gentleness.

Yes, he would conquer, but it would be a conquest of love.

Have you missed an important moment of decision in your life? Is there a decision that you need to make that you’ve been putting off? Does God keep putting that decision in front of you?

How are you identified? What movements do you support? What causes do you fight for? What behaviors do you exhibit to show the world who you are?

Whose approval do you seek? Do you need to please your friends? Your family? Your own desires? The world? Or are you seeking approval from God?

Have you discovered how you are equipped by God? What gifts and abilities has He given you for His purposes in the world? How are you using those gifts and abilities? Have you allowed the Holy Spirit to descend on to you and guide you?

I want to revisit Montana’s life for just a moment. She had made a decision to live for Christ at a very young age. And, certainly, she identified herself as a Christ-follower. A very special sign of approval from God was seen on the day of her service. You see, just as God spoke directly to Jesus one day long ago, he also spoke directly to Tana’s family through two rainbows that were evident on the clear blue day that she was laid to rest. He had equipped her to sing, to love, to reach out to people, and to serve Him in her own unique way…and she used those gifts and abilities to do just that.

Jesus’ baptism was important. It was important for him then and it is important for us today. Baptism is a sacrament. It is a mystery. It is a miracle. If you haven’t yet been baptized, I pray that you will seek and accept this wonderful gift from a God who loves you and will continue to seek and accept you.

And for those of you who have received this gift, I pray that each of you will take time to remember your baptism today…and be thankful.


Amen.

How to Spot a Christian

Sermon 7
May 5, 2013

Jesus replied, “Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching. My Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them. Anyone who does not love me will not obey my teaching. These words you hear are not my own; they belong to the Father who sent me.  “All this I have spoken while still with you.  But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.  Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.  “You heard me say, ‘I am going away and I am coming back to you.’ If you loved me, you would be glad that I am going to the Father, for the Father is greater than I.  I have told you now before it happens, so that when it does happen you will believe. --John 14:23-29

We honor our high school seniors today. One of them is mine, so bear with me if my emotions creep into my voice.

At different milestones in your life, you become strangely aware of the passage of time. For the high school seniors, it seems like you’ve been in school forever. But for the parents, it seems that you packed up that backpack and sent them into the school by themselves for the first time just yesterday.

And this is true for other events in life also. The concept of time is difficult for us to wrap our little human minds around. 

For example, many doubt that God really created the heavens and the earth in only 6 days. They point to scientific data that has led to “proof” that our world is millions of years old and started with one big bang. Yet, they fail to recognize and understand that our God, an eternal being who is not bound by time, created time.

Listen to Genesis 1:1-2:

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters. 

Hmmm…any mention of time. Any indication that “time” is passing yet? Let’s look at the next couple of verses:

And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. God saw that the light was good, and he separated the light from the darkness. God called the light “day,” and the darkness he called “night.” And there was evening, and there was morning—the first day. 

Aha…now I can see time. Was the universe there BEFORE time began? Can we even grasp such a concept? I don’t have the ability to know. Neither do you. Neither do scientists.

But I do know this, we are bound by time. Once we have lived a moment, we can never go back and live that moment again. Even if we just slept through it. Once we have lived a moment, it becomes part of our history…a history that is unchangeable. Because the time that we are bound to is linear. Once we have lived a moment, there are consequences.

Think of it this way…here is a moment.

And it’s effects.

But other people also live the same moment…and their choices during that moment have effects--

effects that may affect your future moments. Like this!

Although none of us know how much time will be given to us, we do know that each moment of time that we have is a gift. So…what are we going to do with this gift?

Let me tell you something that you should know. It’s a little secret that I didn’t learn as early in my life as I would’ve liked…so I want to share it with you.

What you DO comes from who you ARE. Doing comes out of being.

This is such an important concept to understand. If your actions (your “doing”) doesn’t come from who you truly are (your “being”), eventually your “being” will betray, and destroy, your “doing”. In other words…your actions will show who you truly are. Don’t waste time developing a reputation…invest time in developing your character.

Don’t get me wrong, you will mess up. You will do things that you regret. You will hurt people. “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”  But if your “being” is in Christ, you will recognize your mistakes, repent from them, and learn from them. However, If your being is NOT in Christ, when you do hurt others you will be angry that you got caught, blame as many other people as you can, and be sure to be much sneakier the next time.

Ground your life in the Word of God. This takes effort. Any relationship takes effort.

Each one of our graduates is planning to attend college next year. No two are going to the same place. They’ll be in all over Kansas, in Missouri, and in Georgia. In a few months, our seniors will enter into the most selfish time of their lives. It’s true.

For the first time ever, dad and mom won’t know where they are, what they are doing, and who they are with every moment of the day. For the first time ever they will be responsible to and for nobody but themselves. For the first time ever they will be free from past mistakes, past accomplishments, and past reputations in a sea of young people who are all experiencing the exact same freedom.

Who will you be? Notice—I didn’t ask “What will you be?” or “What will you do?” Who will you be? Let me warn you, there is some awfully rotten fruit that is going to look very fresh, sweet, and tasty in your new little garden.

You are going to hear and see many different world views. You are going to witness people belittle faith in God. You may even have instructors that ask you how you can base your beliefs and opinions on a book that was written thousands of years ago in a different time and place…a book of myths and fairytales...of legends and superstitions.

Did you know that one of the biggest obstacles to students maintaining their Christian faith is their inability to reconcile their faith with science? Students learn about science and hear that it is incompatible with Christianity. I brought up evolution for a reason—it’s one of the biggest factors that young people cite for abandoning their faith in God. They have more faith in the theories of man.

Science seeks to understand the world around us through exploration. Any provable “truths” that are discovered through science should not be feared. We believe in the truth. We believe that Christ IS the Truth. All truths will lead to Christ.

Did you know that there are theories that humans believed for centuries that were eventually proven false? Do you think that all of our scientific theories now are correct? That somehow we are much smarter than the humans of the past? That’s laughable!

Ever heart of Mozart? Leonardo DaVinci? Socrates? Galileo? Know anybody living now who can compare in their brilliance? C.S. Lewis calls this “chronological snobbery.”

Oh, I would never have eaten from the fruit of that tree in Eden.

I can’t believe people were stupid enough to think the world was flat?

I would not have fallen for the idea that the earth was the center of the universe.

Never, would I have EVER, worn my hair like THAT!

We think we are so much smarter than those who came before us. You just wait until your kids and grandkids laugh at your clothes, music, language, and yes…hairstyles, in a few short decades.

But God’s Word always remains true. That doesn’t mean we quit seeking answers, that we quit exploring, that we discontinue the development of theories.  It just means that we need to keep things in perspective. 

So how do you spot a Christian?

Well…our culture tells us that they look like this.

Those of you in my generation will remember this.

And there are others who believe that they look like this.

There are some big name popular preachers who will tell you they look like this.

But I will tell you that you cannot spot a Christian in a picture because in any given moment of time any person in the world could be doing something that we value as Christians. A Christian isn’t defined in a moment…but in a lifetime of ripples.

You cannot just do; you must be.

You cannot just do things that we view as Christ-like without knowing Christ…without being a Christian and expect to maintain it.

So every day, every single day, get to know Christ a little better. Read about him. Talk to him. Talk about him with others. Think about him. Worship him. BE in him. And if you do, He will also be in you.

Let’s go back to our gospel reading for today, I want to re-read for you a few of the verses. “Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching. My Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them. Anyone who does not love me will not obey my teaching. “All this I have spoken while still with you. But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.”

Did you hear that? You will never have to be alone. Through the Holy Spirit, our Father God and his Son Jesus will make their home with you. The Holy Spirit will teach you and will remind you…granted, sometimes when you least want to be taught or reminded.

It’s not always going to be fun. It’s not always going to be easy. You are not guaranteed health and wealth and happiness in this life. But you are guaranteed that God will use every experience you go through for His good…for His purposes.

So, although life is getting ready to change, although you are about to embark on a grand adventure, although your family and friends may not always be with you, your Father in heaven always will be.

Remain in Him and show the world what a Christian looks like.

Father, we realizing that doing is so much easier than being. We can hide who we ARE by what we DO from others, but we can’t hide it from you. Nor can we maintain that charade for long. Work in our lives, Lord, to guide us in our efforts to remain in you so that our actions will just flow naturally from our being…our being that is defined in You. We ask for your blessing on our graduates, Father. Guide their steps, guide their minds, and guide their hearts as they prepare for this new freedom that they will experience soon…a freedom they many never experience again in their lives once work, spouses, and/or children come along. It is a special, special time for them…and we pray that they will remain in You. Give them that longing, Lord. Give them that courage. Amen.