Monday, August 13, 2012

Breaking God’s heart, or Breaking free

Breaking God's heart, or Breaking free

 

8/12/12

RUMC

 

The U.S. standard railroad gauge (distance between rails) is four feet, eight-and-one-half inches.

Why such an odd number?  Because that's the way they built them in England, and British businessmen built American railroads.

Why did the English have such an odd number?  Because the people who built the pre-railroad tramways used that gauge.

Why did the tramways have such an odd gauge?  They used the same standards and tools they had used for building wagons, which were set on a gauge of four feet, eight-and-one-half inches.

"Why were wagons built to that scale?  Because with any other size, the wheels did not match the old wheel ruts on the roads.

So why were the ruts 4' 8 ½" apart.

Because the roads were first used by Roman legions on their chariots.

Why were chariots built to be exactly 4' 81/2" across?"  Because four feet, eight-and-one-half inches was the width a chariot needed to be to accommodate the rear ends of two war horses."

 

So… in other words, our railroads are the way they are because they are built to accommodate the behinds of two horses that have been dead for 1900 years.

We might just say that's the way it has always been.  Even if that is the way it has always been; it is kind of silly isn't it.

It may be silly but change is hard.

 

Some people resist change.

A man went to the doctor and the doctor told him he was in really bad shape.  The doctor said, "Have your wife cook healthier meals, have her keep the kids quiet so you aren't stressed, and you need to rest instead of all those chores around the house.  If you don't make these changes, you'll be dead in a month."

The man replied,"Doc, could you please call my wife and tell her.  It will go over better coming from you."  The doctor agreed.

When the man arrived home, he asked his wife if the doctor had called.  She said, "Yes he did, and he said you only have 30 days to live."  She wasn't about to change for anything was she?

 

Other people embrace change. 

How many of us see an ad for a new car, or computer or smart phone and think,"Oh man I have to have that!"  We don't have to have it, of course, but sometimes change seems good and we are ready for it.

 

The gospel of Jesus Christ is a gospel of change.  Change in our relationship with God is only the beginning.  Because when we change our relationship with God, we want to change our relationships with other people.  (It is kind of like those DIRECT TV commercials)  

·         So, in order to change our relationships we need to change ourselves.

·         In order to change ourselves, we have to change our behavior.

·         In order to change our behavior we have to change our thinking.

·         In order to change our thinking we have to change our attitude. 

·         And in order to change our attitude we have to let God change our heart.  (The DIRECT  TV commercial would end with "DON'T LET God CHANGE YOUR HEART") 

That change of heart, however, is the essence of the Christian gospel and Christian life.

 

That is what Paul is talking about in this passage from Ephesians.  He knows that change is hard for most people.  He sees people resisting the gospel change of life even while they call themselves Christians.  It seems that the church to which Paul writes this letter is one that is divided between Jewish Christians and Gentile Christians.  The Gentile Christians came from a culture of license where anything goes.  They might have believed that since Jesus died for their sins that they had the freedom to behave as they always had.  They would be forgiven anyway!

  On the other hand, The Jewish Christians, brought up to live by the law, didn't struggle so much with that.  They did bring with them, however, a certain disapproving or even judgmental attitude against those Gentiles.

Neither the licentious Gentile Christians, nor the judgmental Jewish Christians were in the right, but they succeeded in driving a great wedge down the middle of the church. 

 

Now enters Paul.  You might be interested to know that I doubt that this letter was really written to the Ephesian church.  In Acts 20, we read about Paul living among Ephesian church for 3 years, but the book of Ephesians is very impersonal and seems to be based on reports Paul is hearing from others.  It is possible that this was a general letter circulated to several churches because the Jewish/Gentile wedge was a widespread problem in the early church.

Whether Paul is writing to Christians in Ephesus or Christians in Reinbeck, the message is the same.  At the beginning of Chapter 4 Paul writes, "live a life worthy of the calling you have received." 

In chapter 1 of Ephesians, Paul describes that calling in the loftiest of words.

"I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, into the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people, 19 and his incomparably great power for us who believe.  That power is the same as the mighty strength 20 he exerted when he raised Christ from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, 21 far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every name that is invoked, not only in the present age but also in the one to come."

That is the calling we have received and the calling Paul is talking about when he says, "Live a life worthy of the calling you have received."  In other words, live a life worthy of the risen and glorified Christ.

The question for you today is, "Are you living a life worthy of your Christ?"

Are you living a life worthy of your Christ?

 

In Ephesus, in Reinbeck, Iowa or in Timbuktu it doesn't make any difference-- The Christian life is a reflection of Jesus Christ, who is God himself.  For any of us to live the Christian life requires a radical change from our natural human inclinations.

Paul says in verse 14 that we must no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming.  (in other words just blowing here and there randomly as we please and as our instincts tells us) 15 Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ.

Then Paul goes on to lay out a description of the old life.

We must not live as Gentiles-

In futility

In darkness

Separated from God

ignorant

With hard hearts

Insensitive

Crudely sensual

Impure

Greedy

Deceitful

Angry

Stealing

Having Filthy mouths

Filled with Bitterness

And Rage

And Brawling

And Slander

 

That doesn't sound like a life we want, does it?  When they are all listed together like that, it's actually pretty disgusting.

The problem is, one thing leads to another which makes the next thing seem not so bad, which then leads us to even more sin.

We might think one impure thought is not such a big deal, but look at how that impure thought becomes lust, which becomes desire, which becomes action, which becomes either adultery or fornication.

We might think that a little lie is not a big deal, but look at where it can lead you.

We might think that having a filthy mouth is not a big barrier to God, but look at where it leads you.  Then ask yourself, "is that life worthy of your Lord Jesus whom you now represent in everything you do?"  I would say not.

I would say the lives that some of us live (or at least some of the things we do) bring not honor, but shame and disgrace and humiliation to Jesus.

 

Then Paul drops the A Bomb.  He says; do not grieve the Holy Spirit.

Oh, man--- now what have we done??  What does that mean??  It sounds pretty bad.

Well let's back up and figure this out.  The Holy Spirit Is God, so we are told not to grieve God.  Not to make God grieve.

Robyn is our resident expert on grief.  But I would define grief as "the physical, emotional and spiritual response to a loss of any kind."

The Greek word lu-PAY-oh means more than to make sorry, it means to cause deep pain, it is even used to describe the pain of childbirth. 

Putting those two things together, I would say this is the deep severe pain of a major loss.  We are talking about the kind of pain felt by a parent who has a child die.  Which is only appropriate since God is our heavenly father.  We are talking about causing God to experience the deepest kind of broken heart.

So Paul is saying don't break God's heart.  Well, none of us want to do we?

But we do it anyway. 

  • When we claim God, but deny the transforming work of God in our day-to-day lives, we are breaking God's heart.
  • When we claim God, but insist on living our own lives in our own sinful ways, we grieve God.
  • When we claim God, but stubbornly stick to our old futile ways, we break God's heart.
  • When we claim God, but stubbornly stick to our old hardhearted ways, we break God's heart.
  • When we claim God, but stubbornly stick to our old Greedy ways, we break God's heart.
  • When we claim God, but stubbornly stick to our old Brawling and Bitter ways, we break God's heart.
  • When we claim God, but stubbornly stick to our old Filthy and Slanderous talk, we break God's heart.

We break God's heart at the deepest point and cause our loving father God the most severe pain a parent can feel.

I know you don't want to do that to God… but you do.  I do.  We all do. 

 

The good news is we don't have to.  The good news is that the reason this grieves God so deeply, is because he has already provided an alternative.  It hurts God so badly when we sin because he has already died to give us victory over our sin.  It hurts God so much because he gave up his only son on the cross so that we would not have to live that way.   

The church has focused almost exclusively on Christ and the Cross-because we all like to feel forgiven and loved.

I am afraid we may have neglected the transformative power of the spirit.  Simply because change is hard.  Even with a "paraclete" or divine helper at our side.  Change is hard.  The Holy Spirit, however, is given to us by God to help us make the changes to live the new life.

·         It is the spirit of God living in us that drives us from our old ways toward the new life in Christ.

·         It is the spirit of God living in us that cleanses our hearts and mind and draws us toward the new life in Christ.

·         It is the spirit of God living in us that gives us the strength and courage to change our old behaviors and habits, and draws us toward the new life in Christ.

·         It is the spirit of God living in us that assures of forgiveness and second chances when we fail and slip back into our old ways instead of running toward the new life in Christ.

·         It is the spirit of God that fills us with all the good things Paul describes like humility, gentleness, patience, love, truth, honesty, compassion, and forgiveness; all of which draw us closer to fulfilling the new life in Christ.

·         It is the spirit of God that draws us together in unity so that together, as a united people of God, we march bravely toward the new life in Christ.

 

If you are stuck in a rut with a 4'8 ½" faith---If you are stuck in a rut with your old life and old habits, you are missing the great and glorious calling of the Christian life.  You are missing the wonder of the new life in Christ.

I call upon you, I challenge you to break out of those 4' 8 ½" ruts and walk a new path with Christ.  Start a new life with Jesus. 

With the transforming power of the Holy Spirit break out of those ruts and join the new and transformed life in the spirit.