“Faith works when faith guides our words.” James chapter 3 Reinbeck UMC 8/13/17

“Faith works when faith guides our words.”

James chapter 3

Reinbeck UMC 8/13/17

•           What is more destructive than a wildfire?

•           What is more powerful than a nuclear bomb?

•           What has caused more injuries than bathtub slips?

•           What has torn apart churches and countries?

If you guessed war, you were wrong. It is much closer than that.

 In fact, it is much, much closer than you might imagine… it is the human tongue.

•           James says our words are more destructive than a wildfire.

•           They are harder to control than huge ships.

•           The tongue is harder to tame than any wild beast.

•           The tongue is a small part but corrupts the whole body.

 In a 180-pound man, that is 8 tenthousanths of 1 % of the body weight.

How much trouble can 8 tenthousanths of one percent cause?

That 8 tenthousandths of 1% has…

•           Started more wars

•           Destroyed more families

•           Broken up more marriages and friendships

•           Split more churches

•           Caused more tears

•           Caused more pain and suffering than the remaining 99.9992% of the body.

I don’t think I am exaggerating. And neither does James.

Now let’s make this just a little bigger than the words that come out of our mouths.  In our day and age, technology gives us the ability to communicate in any number of ways.  Texting, emailing, and face-booking. Those are all words that come out of us just as surely as these words come out of my mouth right now.  The thing is, that should make some of you very uncomfortable.

Occasionally I overhear some of you gossiping, or saying judgmental things about someone else, or speaking negatively about the church. I have NEVER heard anyone speak with their tongues in the caustic, and frankly embarrassing, way some Christians speak with your fingers on face-book. That picture you shared, that cruel or judgmental post you wrote, or the angry post you “liked” speak just as clearly about what is inside of you as anything else you say and do.

Occasionally I read what some of you and other Christians post on face-book and think about all the people who think Christians are hypocrites… and I’ll tell you reading face-book proves loud and clear that some are.

I’m not talking about everyone… but you know if I am talking about you. Why would you want to be associated with that? Why would you put that out there for the world to see? What does it say about your faith in Christ that you behave that way even in an electronic community? I used to tell my youth, don’t put anything on face-book you wouldn’t want your grandma to see.  Some of you would do well to take the same advice.

So when I talk about our words I am talking about all of our words, and when I talk about our tongues, I am also talking about our fingers.

James is not, by any means, the only place in the Bible concerned with our words. Here are just 5…

•           ”It is not what goes into the mouth that defiles a person, but it is what comes out of the mouth that defiles.”

•           “A gentle tongue is a tree of life, but perverseness in it breaks the spirit.”

•           “Reckless words pierce like a sword, but the tongue of the wise brings healing.” 

•           “The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit.” 

•           “For, “Whoever would love life and see good days must keep their tongue from evil and their lips from deceitful speech.” 

I collected 21 passages and put them on a handout for you, but I may have still missed some.

 I think you all know what I am talking about:

•           You know 4 letter words!

•           You know name calling!

•           You know threats!

•           You know “teasing!” that isn’t any fun.

•           You know put downs!

•           You know lies!

•           You know Gossip.

Most of us have been on the receiving end of some of that at one time or another. You know how hurtful our words can be.

Going back to James, you may have noticed that he starts this passage with a special word to teachers: “Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers; for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness” (verse 1).

Why should this be? It is simple. We all know that if a plumber does something bad they just use his name on the TV. If the perpetrator is a teacher, preacher, or government official they never fail to point that out.  That’s because we are in positions that speak loud and clear to masses of people. We know that, and most of us act accordingly. 

The truth is that it is not just teachers, preachers, and politicians who are in the public eye. Whether you teach a class or not, every Christian teaches a lesson with the way they live. The question is what lesson are your words teaching? Someone is always watching. And no matter who we are, our tongues are powerful tools for good or evil. The mastery of the tongue is a sign of spiritual maturity.

But James does not leave us stranded.  He doesn’t just say bridle that horse, put out that fire, turn that ship, or keep your lip zipped.  He actually has some very practical advice, but it is spread throughout his book. I have collected it for you and

1.         Listen twice as much as you speak James says, “Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger” (James 1:19). They say that’s why God gave us two ears and one mouth.

2.         Put your words into action “Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. (James 2:15-17) Don’t just talk about it... Just do it.

3.         Resist loaded words. “What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you? Is it not this, that your passions are at war within you?” (James 4:1). You know what I am talking about … those words that you might feel strongly about,  but you just know are going to cause controversy. They are the words that we use to bait others into arguments. It might be illegal alien, homophobe, or any number of 4 letter words.

4.         Never speak evil of another.” Do not speak evil against one another, brothers. The one who speaks against a brother or judges his brother, speaks evil against the law and judges the law. But if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge” (James 4:11). There’s a challenge for you!  It is the old, “If you can’t say anything nice… don’t say anything at all.”

5.         Never boast, “Let the lowly brother boast in his exaltation, and the rich in his humiliation, because like a flower of the grass he will pass away” (James 1:9–10). It is OK to be proud of our accomplishments, but boasting is being overly proud… or falsely proud.

6.         Use your mouth for good Psalm 51 says, “O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth will declare your praise.” 

a.         To sing praises to God. “Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing praise” (James 5:13).

b.           Ask for prayer. “Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord” (James 5:14).

c.           Pray. “Pray for one another, that you may be healed” (James 5:16).

d.         Say I’m sorry and I forgive you. “Therefore, confess your sins to one another that you may be made whole” (James 5:16).

If you go to the doctor, you know he or she is going to ask you to stick out your tongue. Have you ever wondered why?  What do they see?   I don’t know, but they seem to be able to tell a great deal about our health by looking into our mouths. That is a parable of spiritual reality. You can tell an awful lot about a person by what they say. Our words are a pretty accurate index of the health of our hearts.

What do your words say about you?

SPEECH IS A POWERFUL THING.

• Some of the most significant messages people deliver to one another often come in just 3 words. Try some of these.

1.         I'LL BE THERE

2.           I MISS YOU

3.           I RESPECT YOU

4.         MAYBE YOU'RE RIGHT

5.         PLEASE FORGIVE ME

6.         I THANK YOU

7.         COUNT ON ME

8.         LET ME HELP

9.         I UNDERSTAND YOU

10.       GO FOR IT

11.       Of course there are three words more powerful than any other…  I LOVE YOU.

 Of all the words that you could speak… Let those be the words that reveal what is in your heart. I LOVE YOU.

Faithworks #2 Reinbeck UMC 7/30/2017

Faithworks #2

Reinbeck UMC

7/30/2017

 Stupid is as stupid does. That was forest Gump’s way of saying “action speak louder than words.”

•           We might also say “If it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck… it must be a duck.”

•           Or “the proof is in the pudding.”

•           Do you remember the old song, “They’ll know we are Christians by our love?”

It’s all the same thing:

•           Christian is as Christian does,

•           If it walks like a Christian and talks like a Christian, it must be a Christian.

•           Or the proof of faith is in the loving. Or

•           They’ll know we are Christians by our love, or our forgiveness, or our mercy, or our passion for justice.

 Actions speak louder than words. James might say, faith without works is dead… or “YOU CAN TELL IF FAITH WORKS, IF FAITH LEADS TO WORKS.”

Last week in the first sermon of our faithworks series, we talked about how our faith leads to a change in the way we see God, the way we see ourselves, and the way we face trials.

Chapter 2 really focuses on relationships with other people and our attitudes toward those who are different from us. Specifically, it talks about Justice and mercy.

 Immediately that should make you think of Micah 6:8, “What does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.”

Really, that is what this is about. How does God expect us to live out our faith? God expects JUSTICE and MERCY as we walk humbly with God. If faith works, our faith will lead to works of justice and mercy.

Before we get into specific examples, let’s think about the relationship between Justice and mercy.

As I see it, there are three attitudes within the concept of justice.

 First is an attitude of revenge.” An eye for an eye” is the attitude of revenge justice.

•           You take my animal, I’ll take yours.

•           You insult me, I’ll insult you.

•           You bomb me, I’ll bomb you. (That was the theory behind the cold war doctrine of Mutually Assured Destruction, which was supposed to keep us safe. But that never made me feel safe.)  Revenge justice was well established by Hammurabi's Code about 4 centuries before the 10 commandments. The result of revenge justice is a whole nation of ½ blind people. It is the Hatfield’s and the McCoy’s all over. They can’t remember how it started, but by gum, we can’t let them get by with that. We have to get revenge.

 The second attitude of justice is “punishment” or “deterrence.” This is the kid of justice that seeks not to exact revenge, but hopefully to make the punishment so severe that people will not take the chance of breaking the law.

Exodus 22 is a good example of this “When a man steals an ox or a sheep and butchers it or sells it, he must repay five cattle for the ox or four sheep for the sheep. ……  If what was stolen—whether ox, donkey, or sheep—is actually found alive in his possession, he must repay double.” See the deterrent intent in that kind of justice? That is like speeding fines, or lawsuits that award the complainant more than the monetary value of the loss.

 But neither of those are what has in mind when he said,

•           “love those who persecute you,” or

•           “if they ask for your coat, give them your cloak too,” or

•           “Where are you accusers, go and sin no more.” Jesus exercised a justice based NOT on revenge or punishment, but on mercy.” Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.”

That is the kind of justice for which James is calling when he says, “Mercy triumphs over judgment.”  In context, he says “Speak and act as those who are going to be judged by the law that gives freedom, 13 because judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful. Mercy triumphs over judgment.”

Justice, for the Christian, is a justice filled with mercy. We could just as accurately say, “Justice filled with love.”

Let’s look at how that plays out in James.

 The first example is how Justice is meted out in court. The meeting of which James speaks in the first verses of the second chapter is a judicial assembly.

2 Suppose a man comes into your meeting wearing a gold ring and fine clothes, and a poor man in filthy old clothes also comes in. 3 If you show special attention to the man wearing fine clothes and say, “Here’s a good seat for you,” but say to the poor man, “You stand there” or “Sit on the floor by my feet,” 4 have you not discriminated among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts?

I would like to say we live in a country and an age when justice pours out of our courthouses like a never-ending stream. It doesn’t.

•           We can start with the simple fact that the wealthy can buy a dream team of defense lawyers, while the poor are represented by capable and well-meaning public defenders… but they are far from a dream team. Justice is bought not with a bribe, but with the ability to hire a better lawyer than the other side. The Christian response is to stand up and scream NO.

•           We can look at the way different people are treated in court. Taking two defendants who commit the same crime, and the same history of prior convictions, a Florida study showed that black men were sentenced to 20 percent more time in prison.   That has nothing to do with how many crimes are committed by whom… these are equally guilty people treated unequally by the law. The Christian response is to stand up and scream NO.

•           What about the treatment of undocumented immigrants. You can have your opinion about what the immigration policy should be but there is no debate that it is applied unequally. There is no debating that people are treated differently by the courts. For no obvious reason some are allowed to live in this country and others are deported. It does not always have to do with criminal history… that is a different thing. It does not have to do with how long they have been here… that is a different thing. The fact is that two undocumented immigrants living next to each other cannot expect to be treated equally under the law. The Christian response is to stand up and scream NO.

 The second example in James is our attitude toward the poor. “Has not God chosen those who are poor in the eyes of the world to be rich in faith and to inherit the kingdom he promised those who love him? 6 But you have dishonored the poor.”

This has nothing to do with the poverty level. These are those who are weaker or less important in the eyes of the world. Jesus said, “If you have done it to the least of these, you have done it to me.”

•           Consider the disabled adults who live in-group homes, unable to work. In Iowa, they are allowed as little as 36 dollars a month for their personal expenses. Imagine $36 per month for haircuts, clothes, a new bed whatever. The Christian response is to stand up and scream NO.

•           Consider those who are fleeing the terrible war in Syria. Shuffled from country to country and herded into refugee camps. The Christian response is to stand up and scream NO.

•           Consider the other side of the picture when the rich congress excludes themselves from laws that affect everyone else in the nation. The Christian response is to stand up and scream NO.

•           Consider the closing of almost all of the residential facilities in Iowa for those with mental illness. Pushing those with almost no hope of community integration into outpatient treatment. The Christian response is to stand up and scream NO.

•           What about the slightly chunky teenager who is told, “You are a fat cow, too ugly to live, just go kill yourself.” The Christian response is to stand up and scream NO.

•           I know you all have your own favorite issues as I do. Apply this to your favorite issues. No matter what the issue, though, when it comes to treating the less powerful, or less wealthy, or less regarded, or anyone else without mercy. The Christian response is to stand up and scream NO.

 Finally, James gives an example of a different kind. He says “What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them? Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.”

This is just a little different. This is not about people without clothes and food. This is about our

•           faith going beyond principle,

•           beyond rolling our eyes,

•           even beyond standing up and screaming NO.

•           This is about whether (in James words) our faith is alive or dead. 

 Standing up and screaming NO is not the end of the Christian response. Just like saying good luck to the hungry person is not the end of the Christian response. We have to DO something.

No matter how you cut it, our faith HAS to lead to action or it is DEAD. DEAD, DEAD.

•           The Christian who is all about sitting in the pew but never says anything about or notices the suffering around them is useless in the kingdom. God calls us to DO something.

•           The Christian who is all about reading their Bible, but doesn’t apply it to their lives and world to make the world a better place is all show and no go. God calls us to DO something.

•           The Christian who is all about praying for peace, but never does anything to promote it, is like a noisy gong or a clanging symbol. God calls us to DO something.

•           The Christian who will throw money at causes is certainly helpful, but if they only invest money and not themselves, they are missing the point. God calls us to DO something.

•           The Christian who is all about JESUS AND ME, and never gets around to ME AND THEE…

o          never gets around to loving others,

o          never gets around to advocating for others,

o          never gets around to feeding anyone,

o          never gets around to teaching the children,

o          never gets around to inviting  a neighbor to  church has a faith that is not working . God calls us to DO something.

•           They are always talking about wanting children in the church, but will not do anything to help.

•           They are always talking about problems and never helping with solutions.

•           They are always thinking,

o          “Someone else will do it,” or

o          “I have done enough,” or

o          “I’m too busy,” or

o          “I’m too tired,” or whatever their excuse… (You have heard them all just as I have.) Their faith is not working. God calls us to DO something.

•           Those folks are missing the joy of living out their faith in the real world with real people.

•           They are missing the joy of being an instrument of peace, or love, or healing, or joy to others.

•           They are missing out on having a living faith in a living creator who is powerfully active in this world through people just like us.

•           They are missing the opportunity to DO something as part of the kingdom of God.

•           They are missing the fact they every person is called into ministry--- called to do something with their faith.

I feel sorry that they are missing out on the life giving joy of giving their lives for God. However, James is a little harsher. He says, “As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds, is dead.”

•           They’ll know we are Christians by our love,

•           and they’ll know we are dead if we do not love, or serve, or work for justice, or act out our faith in our lives.

Take a minute to take your faith pulse… alive or dead?  

Can you feel your faith coming out in your actions?

Can you see your faith in your life?

Can others see your faith in the life you live?

Take a minute to take your faith pulse… alive or dead?  

If you don’t feel the pulse, it isn’t too late to change. God never gives up on us even if we are lost sheep or prodigal sons; God is a God who puts divine love into action Yes… in Jesus Christ. But also in you and me. And through you and me.

Thanks be to God who calls us to DO something.

Faithworks #1 James 1 RUMC 7/23/2017

Faithworks #1

James 1

RUMC 7/23/2017

{Airplane video}

 Do you ever feel like your faith just isn’t getting off the ground? Do you ever feel like one of those early airplane designers? You have the right idea, but it just won’t fly?

I think we have all been there at one time or another.

Sometimes our faith just does not seem to work. It spins and spins, it flaps and flaps, it makes a lot of noise, but it never seems to get off the ground.

If you know what I am talking about the book of James just might be for you. The book of James is kind of like a repair manual.

 Fundamentally, the message of James is FAITH ONLY WORKS WHEN FAITH LEADS TO WORKS. Now, don’t get bent out of shape by the word “works.” We have been taught that salvation comes by faith not by works. That is absolutely true. Remember, however, “works” are not bad. When James says “works,” he is simply referring to our actions. Works are the things we do because we have faith.

What James is teaching us is the next step. After we are saved by faith, “NOW WHAT?” I’m a Christian, NOW WHAT? I am forgiven, NOW WHAT? The “NOW WHAT” is that we have to let our faith seep in to all our pours and every corner of our lives and color us through and through with the love of Christ. Faith changes us. If it doesn’t, it is empty.

•           Faith that does not affect our actions is a useless faith…

•           Faith that does not change the way we live is a worthless faith…

•           Faith that does not influence our decisions has no better chance of getting g off the ground than those airplanes in the video. It is a broken faith that does not really work.

To put it bluntly, being a Christian, or even a member of the church, or even coming to worship means nothing in and of itself. It only means anything if our faith changes who we are, the way we think, and the way we behave. In other words, FAITH ONLY WORKS WHEN FAITH LEADS TO WORKS.

James says, “Be doers of the word, and not merely hearers who deceive themselves.”  Be livers of the word, not just hearers because you are not fooling anyone but yourself. Be changed by the word because Jesus didn’t die to maintain the status quo.

I don’t think I have ever used the TV show2 ½ men in a sermon illustration before, because it frankly makes a mockery of every Christian value, but Charlie Sheen has a great line in one episode.   “There's something you should know about me. When I say, "I understand,” it doesn't mean I agree, it doesn't mean I understand, it doesn't even mean I'm listening.”

I am convinced that we have a culture-wide hearing disability, and the church is no exception. We say “I understand” but we aren’t really listening.

Two psychiatrists meet at their 20th college reunion. One is vibrant, while the other looks withered and worried. "So what's your secret?" the older looking psychiatrist asks. "Listening to other people's problems every day, all day long, for years on end, has made an old man of me." "So," replies the younger looking one, "who listens?" 

To loosely translate verses 23 and 24 of this first chapter, “It is just wrong to go to worship, or a Bible study, or Vacation Bible School, or a mission trip, and forget what you have heard as soon as you get through the door. The Christian life should not be business as usual.”

If we are to mature as disciples, we have to break that habit. It isn’t very complicated there are only 4 steps. Here is James discipleship plan.

1.         Listen to what God expects of you.

2.           Listen to all of what God expects of you.

3.         Listen to what God expects of you first.

4.         And then just do it.

 Therefore, the rest of this sermon series is about just doing it. It is going to be a very practical examination of the affect of faith on different parts of our lives. I’ll probably step on some toes, but the book of James does not side step the difficult issues and neither will I.

 Eugene Peterson translates the 2nd -4th verses well: “Consider it a sheer gift, friends, when tests and challenges come at you from all sides. You know that under pressure, your faith-life is forced into the open and shows its true colors. So don’t try to get out of anything prematurely. Let it do its work so you become mature and well-developed, not deficient in any way.”  In other words, if I step on your toes, don’t expect an apology, but you can expect me to say, “You are welcome.” It is only by being challenged that we grow to mature discipleship.

In this first chapter, James hits five big areas of our life:  Image of God, self-image, temptation, generosity, and speech.

Fortunately, we are going to hit generosity hard next week with chapter 2.

And fortunately, we are going to dedicate a whole week to our words in chapter 3.

So let’s tackle the other three topics.

 The first part of our lives into which James sticks his big nose is our IMAGE OF GOD.

The Message Bible reads, 5-8 If you don’t know what you’re doing, pray to the Father. He loves to help. You’ll get his help, and won’t be condescended to when you ask for it.

If you are listening you will hear again and again, “trust in God,” “depend on God,” “rely on God,” Jesus says, “Don’t build your house on the sand… build your house on God’s solid rock.”

For those who are saved, God is not some big scary, furry faced, ogre of a judge that sits on a cloud with his flyswatter ready to strike us down at the first opportunity. As Jesus taught, God is our beloved father. ABBA would have been Jesus word for it. A daddy in whose hands we can place our life without hesitation or fear.

             Hearers, hear God’s love preached, but continue to trust mostly in themselves, and want to do life their way instead of God’s way.

Doers hear God’s love preached and trust it. Doers make that love the very core of their lives, trusting in God for all things, and staking their lives on God’s grace.

Which are you; A Hearer or a doer?

 Second, James addresses our self-image.

We live in a culture obsessed with self-image. 

•           We don’t want to bruise the kids’ self-esteem so we can’t keep score.

•           We fall to advertising ploys that assure us that we will feel better about ourselves if we just use this makeup or eat this food.

•           In the last years, we have started to talk about body image and how sensitive particularly young girls are.

James writes, “9 Believers in humble circumstances ought to take pride in their high position. 10 But the rich should take pride in their humiliation—since they will pass away like a wild flower.11 For the sun rises with scorching heat and withers the plant; its blossom falls and its beauty is destroyed. In the same way, the rich will fade away even while they go about their business.” 

James compares us to wild flowers. You might be the most beautiful flower in the meadow, or the most noxious weed that ever existed, but when the scorching sun comes both wither just the same. No matter how beautiful the building or how humble the shack in the path of the tornado both are just a pile of lumber in the end. In the end, it doesn’t matter whether we are rich or poor, what color we are on the outside, what choices we have made, where we live, or who our parents are. That is not how faith works. 

Do not think that you are better than you are. On the other hand, do not put yourself down. Do not shape your life around what others think of you or what others think you should be. Do not try to be what you are not, because you can’t fool God. You might fool some of the people all the time, and all the people some of the time, but you can never fool God. It is not our self-image that counts, but how closely our lives conform to the image of God.

 Hearers, hear that they are made in God’s image, but try to make themselves into something bigger, better, more impressive than they are.

Doers hear that they are made in God’s image and they seek to conform perfectly to that image in which they were made.

Which are you; A Hearer or a doer?

 Finally, for this first chapter, James really gets to meddling and tackles temptation.

There are two extremes here.

•           Some hear, “You are a sinner and domed to fall to temptation. There is nothing you can do.”

•           Others hear “you are forgiven and immune from temptation. There is nothing you need to do.”

Either way they let themselves off the hook. They take an easy discipleship by relieving themselves of responsibility for their temptations and their choices.

The disciple follows Jesus down the hard road of temptation. Neither giving in, nor being naive.

Jesus doesn’t promise an easy road. He says, “Pick up your cross and follow me.”

Jesus doesn’t promise a sin free life. He says, “If your right eye causes you to sin cut it out.”

Jesus doesn’t promise immunity from temptation, he prays, “lead us not into temptation, and deliver us from evil.”

Jesus doesn’t promise perfection, even Jesus was

•           tempted by Satan in the wilderness, by

•           Peter on the road, by the

•           knowledge that because he was God, at any moment he could have stopped the merry-go-round to get off.

Those of us who struggle with temptation, know that some of the worst ideas are born in our own hearts. We know that we have free choice and responsibility. We know the power of sin, but we also know the power of grace. We live our lives on a very thin line that separates sin from grace.

James writes that disciples, who are trying to do the word, not just hear it, have to struggle with temptations, “one is tempted by one’s own desire, being lured and enticed by it; 15 then, when that desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin, and that sin, when it is fully grown, gives birth to death. 16 Do not be deceived, my beloved.”

 Hearers hear “grace - grace,” and believe that their salvation creates a cloak of invisibility in the face of sin. They think they have it made.

Doers

•           hear the promise of grace for those who take up the cross in spite of the temptation to rest.

•           Doers hear the promise of grace for those who sell all they have to follow him in spite of the lure of material comfort.

•           Doers hear the promise of grace for those who do unto the least of these and love their neighbor in spite of the temptation to think only about ourselves.

•           Doers know that the temptation to take the easy way is always lurking around every corner but they follow Jesus down the hard road anyway.

Which are you; A Hearer or a doer?

That’s a lot to pack in to one sermon.

But you can sum it up this way.

 When faith works…We trust God completely

When faith works…we become God’s love..

When faith works… we follow Jesus no matter what.

Or you can decide to follow this genius of early aviation.

Life Verse: Joshua 6 (Battle of Jericho) RUMC 7/2/17

Life Verse: Joshua 6 (Battle of Jericho)

RUMC 7/2/17

Athletes hit the wall. NASCAR drivers try to avoid the wall. Some think a wall on our southern border is a great idea… others think it is the worst idea ever, President Regan famously said, “Mr. Gorbachev, tear down that wall.” We depend on walls to keep the animals out and our private lives inside our homes. We also depend on walls to keep those who are dangerous to society locked away for a long time.

Walls are everywhere; but not all walls are made of brick and mortar. Sometimes we build walls in our heads and our hearts that are more impenetrable than any wall built with human hands.

Today’s life verse is about a wall. Or rather, it is about how the people of God responded when they faced a wall.

Noah chose this last Life Verse in the series because he heard the preacher at his other grandma and grandpa’s church preach about it and he wanted to see if I would have anything different to say. I think he may also, whether he knew it or not, have stumbled upon one of the hardest things in life.

•           What do we do when faced with what seems to be impossible?

•           Even more difficult, what do we do when the wall that stops us is in our mind?

•           Most difficult of all, what do we do when the wall is not too big, but our faith is too small?

The people of Israel overcame tremendous odds. What were the odds that they would make it out of Egypt, survive 40 years in the desert, and actually stand at the doorway to the land God had promised them? In human terms, the odds were probably a zillion to one. I guess God was not very good with numbers bigger than ten, because in spite of those odds God brought them over, around, or through some of the biggest barriers they could imagine.

Finally, they stood at the entrance to the Promised Land. They had finally arrived! As they entered the land, however, they discovered yet another seemingly insurmountable barrier.

They discovered that they are not the only ones in the Promised Land. There were groups of people with funny sounding names like the Canaanites, the Jebsusites, the Hitites, the Amorites and the Philistines.  Just across the Jordan River was a Canaanite town called Jericho. Does anyone remember what I told you about Jericho a while back? You didn’t know there would be a test? You never know with me though.

On Palm Sunday, I told you that at an elevation of 846 feet below sea level Jericho is the lowest city in the world. There are lower places on the planet, but they do not have a city built on them. 

 Jericho was not just a city. It was a fortress. Archeologists, of course, did not find the walls intact, (which would have proven this story untrue) but from what they can tell, the bottom of the wall was a 12-15 foot high stone retaining wall. That was capped off by a 20-26 foot high brick wall 6 foot thick. The two walls together varied from 40-46 feet high all the way around the city. That would be a daunting barrier to any army.

That was not the end of the story. That first wall surrounded a 46-foot embankment. On top of that embankment was another retaining wall that was 12 feet thick  And on top of that another 6 foot thick brick wall that rose another 20 feet.

Some archeologists theorize that the wall had a double purpose. Being 846 feet below sea level, flooding might have been a major problem. It might have been a floodwall. That may be true, but I am also sure that it was built to be an impressive, seemingly impenetrable fortress,  with walls that together would appear to be 6-7 stories, tall to discourage any would be attackers.

Joshua was understandably overwhelmed by the sight of the walls of Jericho. He was probably standing there with his mouth hanging open when the Angel of the Lord’s Army stood before him and told him to take off his shoes. God said, “This land is yours and “See, I have handed Jericho over to you, along with its king and soldiers.”

•           Joshua measured the walls of the city in his mind and realized he had a problem.

•           He remembered the stories about giants living there and realized he had an even bigger problem.

•           He thought about his rag tag militia and in his own heart, he had already lost the battle.

In Joshua’s eyes, the wall was a problem, but that was only the beginning.

•           On top of the city wall, Joshua built a wall called fear.

•           On top of the wall of fear, he built another wall called doubt.

•           By time he added wall upon wall, Joshua’s problem made the brick walls of Jericho look like child’s play.

Isn’t that the way we do it too?

Life has challenges. There is no disputing that. Most of our walls are not made of stone and brick like the walls of Jericho.

We face walls of job loss, financial strain, family problems, marriage problems, sickness, and death. We face walls of injustice, prejudice, xenophobia, and ignorance. We face walls of alcoholism, drug abuse, and every other kind of addiction. We face walls of mental illness, broken hearts, and hopelessness. We face walls of every kind, some on the outside of us others on the inside.

When we Face problems usually we choose one of two alternatives

We worry or we try to solve them ourselves.

 ”Worry has been described as “faith in the negative, trust in the unpleasant, assurance of disaster and belief in defeat...worry is wasting today's time to clutter up tomorrow's opportunities with yesterday's troubles.

Worry is like fog. A dense fog that covers a seven-city-block area one hundred feet deep is composed of less than one glass of water divided into sixty thousand million drops. Not much is there but it can cripple an entire city. “

 Jesus knew the power of worry. He counseled his disciples against robbing tomorrow to worry today. “So do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring worries of its own. Today’s trouble is enough for today.”

When I am faced with a problem, I just cannot figure out… a wall I cannot conquer, I lay awake and worry, (do any of you do that)  but when I do I notice that  in the dark quiet of the night, my worry builds walls bigger than when I started.

  Other times, when faced with life’s challenges, we respond like toddlers “I can do it myself.” We try to solve them by ourselves. We decide there must be some way over, around, or through this wall and by golly, I am going to find it. What we forget, is that much of the time we are the ones who created the problem in the first place But we just can’t help ourselves.

There is a classic story, which illustrates what we’re up against. A scorpion who wanted to get across a river. There were no bridges and he didn't know how to swim. So he asked Mr. Frog to ferry him across.

You can understand that Mr. Frog was very nervous about this idea. "No way," he said. "What kind of a fool do you take me for? I know what you'll do. We'll get out there and then you'll sting me and I'll drown."

"I wouldn't do that," protested the scorpion. "I mean, think about it. If I were to sting you, I'd drown too."

Well, that made sense to Mr. Frog. So, still a bit reluctantly, he let the scorpion climb aboard and they started out on their little voyage across the river. Halfway across, the unthinkable happened. Without warning, the scorpion screamed, kaaaaai! Plunged his stinger deep into the frog's flesh and he unloaded both barrels of his killer poison.

As they both headed for the bottom of the river, the frog sadly asked: "Why'd you do that? Now we're both going to die."

The drowning scorpion, a little baffled himself, managed to confess with his last breath: "I'm sorry, but I couldn't help it. It's simply my nature."

It's simply a fact of Planet Earth that scorpions have to sting frogs. Even if it means their own demise. They have to do it.

And you know what? It is our nature to think we can do it ourselves. Even when we know we can’t, we have to try.

It is my nature too. But most of the time when I try to solve my own problems…I have to admit, at best I do it the hard way… and usually I just create bigger problems.

We cannot worry our walls away, nor can we move them by ourselves.

 Let's get back to the story to see how Joshua dealt with his problem.

Joshua had a big problem. But we see that God had a bigger promise.  Joshua knew that his problem was not nearly as big as God's promise. You notice God did not tell Joshua to go conquer Jericho all by himself. He made a promise. That promise was “I have delivered Jericho into your hands"

Joshua had a promise. We have promises too:

•           We have a promise that “those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.”

•           We have a promise that says, “Lo I am with you even until the end of the age.”

•           We have our promise that says, “I will never leave you and I will never forsake you.”

•           We have a promise that, God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son that whosoever should believe in him should not perish but have everlasting life

Problems? Yes, we have problems, but we also have promises from God. And God is God who always keeps his promises. Just like Joshua then, we have a choice to make. We can worry about our problems or we can stand on God's promises. Joshua chose to stand on God's promises. God promised him that he had delivered Jericho into his hands. The proof is that even though we talk about “the Battle of Jericho,” there was no battle. God took care of it just as he promised. That's what happens when we give up our worry and rely on God’s promises.

In the story of the Battle of Jericho Joshua has a problem. Joshua has a promise from God. However, the story doesn't end there. Joshua also has a partner. Joshua has a partner because he trusts in God.

God tells Joshua” Trust me and we will do this together. This is how we're going to do it. You take the ark of the covenant”… What was the Ark of the Covenant? It was the symbol of the presence of God with them. Essentially God is saying, “I’ll come with you… You take the Ark of the Covenant and your men and March around the city one time every day for 6 days. On the 7th Day, we will march around the city seven times. The priests will be playing the trumpet. When you here the priests let out a long blast on the trumpets… have all the people let out a loud  shout and the walls of the city will come tumbling down.” God didn’t send Joshua away to conquer Jericho… he went with him as a partner. And God brought the walls down himself.

Many people have tried to demythologize this story. Some have tried to explain away how the walls of Jericho could be brought down by the acoustic waves created by the people shouting.

Some have tried to claim that the people of Jericho would be so frightened that they would open the gates and let the Israelites come in without a battle.

No matter how many rationalizations they may offer, there are still only two truths in this story.

•           Joshua believed God’s  promise

•           Joshua let god be his partner.

That’s where we can learn a lesson. We worry and try to do it ourselves. Joshua trusted and let God do the heavy lifting.

In spite of our perceptions, we are not solo performers. If we trust in God’s promises and God’s presence, we never face any problem alone.

God is with us when we struggle with our budgets, when we lose our jobs, when are marriages are on the rocks, when our lives seem so turned upside down that we don't know which way is up. God promises I will never leave you or forsake you.   You don’t have to climb the walls by yourself.

Joshua trusted in God and the walls came down.

What will you do?

•           Whatever you wall is, you could beat your head against it until it falls down, or until you fall unconscious.

•           Whatever you wall might be, you can try to climb over it, but you will likely keep sliding back down.

•           Whatever you wall might be, you can try to run around it, but you will eventually fall exhausted.

•           Whatever you wall might be, you can try to dig under it, but you will probably be crushed by your pride.

OR

OR you can trust in God’s promises. “I will never leave you or forsake you.”

 You can let God be your partner. “With God all things are possible.”

I promise you when you face a wall… and I’m sorry to say you will face a wall of some kind in your life. You can’t go over it. You can’t go around it. You can’t go under it… you might as well go with God.