Sermons

And when we get to James and He addresses them as the “12 tribes in the Dispersion.” James is bringing up their identity as the church, being the people of God at the beginning of this letter and it’s so significant because when we face trials, we have the tendency to think, we are going through trials because God is distant. Or when we are facing trials we think not only is God distant but we must not be God’s people if we are facing hardships. And what James, the half-brother of Jesus is doing, is reminding them that even though you are facing trials, you are still God’s people. And the God that said to Joshua in the OT “I will never leave you nor forsake you,” so it is the same God who speaks to to all Christians in all places that feel discouraged when they face trials wondering if God is near. God is near and He does care and will use your trials for His redemptive purposes in your life. And it’s from this spring board of their identity that James begins to instruct them on how to live. If we miss this, we will mis-read all of James. It’s not that we count it all joy when we face trials, seek wisdom, care for the orphan and the widow so that, we can be part of God’s family, rather it is because we are a part of God’s family already that we by “counting it all joy when you face trials,” to asking God for wisdom and care for the orphan and widow. We are not working for an identity but we are working from an identity that we’ve been given by God.

Good Morning! Welcome to Mercy Fellowship where we are Saved by Jesus Work, Changed by Jesus’ Grace, and Living on Jesus’s Mission. Today we are continuing our series ENDURE: Courage in Weakness. If you’re going to follow someone, or if you’re going to learn from someone, what type of person do you want them to be? If you get a personal trainer, you want them to be jacked right. If you have a spiritually leader you want them to be enlightened, a business coach who is a failure isn’t who we want to sign up for. This assumes we have curiosity at all. Sometimes we think we have all the answers on our own. We are too easily impressed, because we can be impressed with ourselves. This is not a path that will lead to glory or contentment. As this series draws to a close this is the penultimate sermon/text which is the key to the entire rest of the book and how we endure. Central to this letter is the paradox of how we see and relate to our own insufficiency. Paul, writing to this church has just spent the end of chapter 11 talking about all his credentials for ministry. Yes, he’s educated, a citizen, with the right lineage, right training, but what really qualifies him for leadership and why he says they should engage with his understanding of the Gospel is his suffering. He leads with his failures and frustrations as marks of faithfulness. And just so we don’t mistake his faithfulness for pride in his ability to endure, Paul talks about being lowered in a basket fleeing from Damascus as he’s pursued by an vicious enemy. That doesn’t look like victory, that doesn’t look like taking ground, that looks like defeat and retreat. So how do we grow from that? Enduring is our path to ultimate victory. To understand how we endure the Christians life we need to experience strength through weakness.

As we read this passage, immediately it feels a little difficult to follow. What we need to remember here is that this is a letter, not a theological essay. Meaning Paul is applying the teachings of Jesus to a particular situation. Part of the difficulty in understanding a letter is that it is only one side of the conversation. Have you ever heard someone talking on the phone and you only heard one side of the conversation. This requires you to piece together the rest of the conversation. This becomes even tricker when you far from the time and culture. Also, tone can be difficult to pick up and in this passage we see Paul using sarcasm. Here is what Jesus said about weakness and vulnerability Matthew 5:2-12 And qhe opened his mouth and taught them, saying: 3 r“Blessed are sthe poor in spirit, for utheirs is the kingdom of heaven. 4 “Blessed are vthose who mourn, for they shall be comforted. 5 “Blessed are the wmeek, for they wshall inherit the earth. 6 “Blessed are those who hunger and xthirst yfor righteousness, for they shall be s atisfied. 7 “Blessed are zthe merciful, for they shall receive mercy. 8 “Blessed are athe pure in heart, for bthey shall see God. 9 “Blessed are cthe peacemakers, for dthey shall be called esons1 of God. 10 f“Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for utheirs is th e kingdom of heaven. 11 g“Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely hon my account. 12 iRejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for jso they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

What robs us of the truth and endurance? Last week we said if you want to lose your joy simply get Jesus wrong because when you get Jesus wrong you’ll get everything else wrong. This was in the context of Paul talking to the Corinthian church about their individual joy and their church culture. Ending foolish comparison, holding every thought captive, searching for your approval in yourself or others are all part of the internal struggle for joy and peace impacting our lives and shaping our church culture. These matter as we seek to make Disciples of Jesus Christ who Love God and Love People. We want individual transformation and a transformative culture in our church recognizing the two are interrelated. Additionally we, individually and corporately, do not exist in a perfect Christian bubble, nor should we. As we are called to go into the world who needs the hope and mercy of Christ, we have to be aware of the river we’re diving into or really having been swimming in. We need to understand it’s currents and destination if we are going to navigate it well. Not all news is “Good News”. We also need to look at how we engage with a world around us full of false narratives. Not all leaders prophets, or pundits are worthy of following listening to, or emulating. Wisdom and discernment are essential to effectively evaluate what we hear and who we respond to. We need help cultivating pure desire with sincere discipline. When desire and discipline meet it creates enduring devotion.

What robs you of Joy? Where and how do you find yourself running off the rails in stress, fear, unsettledness? There is a war being waged for your joy on numerous fronts. Being away of Spiritual forces, comparison with others, actual opponents, even our own thoughts at times seek our defeat. Attacks can be subtle as pride seeks to overwhelm our sense of self and how we engage with others. We are weak; we need a strength beyond our ourselves to combat crippling pride with courageous humility. Addressing how pride and humility impact joy matters as we seek to make Disciples who Love God and Love People. We want individual transformation and a transformative culture in our church recognizing the two are interrelated. We are reading the transcripts of one side of a phone conversation between a pastor and the church (not a back in forth text exchange) The point of the exchange is to help address concerns with their church culture leading them both be less effective in their mission and less enjoyment in their fellowship. As we look at these verses, I want us to see what we do that robs us of joy so we can repent and receive joy with the Lord.

If we exist to make Disciples of Jesus Christ who Love God and Love people, we have to talk about what that looks like in each aspect of life. Love is emotion and desire but is also intention and tangible action. We can tell a lot about ourselves and others with how we spend our time, talent and treasure. Specifically, what and who we value. This is intrinsic to how we understand the concept of worship or “worth-ship”. How we spend or what we give show what we see and find worth in. Every dollar we spend, give, invest, is a doctrinal statement about what we believe about God, ourselves, others, and the world around us. While there are great shifts in the culture around us and many issues we can cover and address at any given point, working through 2 Corinthians helps guide and shape what we preach and teach each week. Generosity and giving matter if we’re going to be holistic disciples. Additionally, we are shaped by the character and nature of God.

How do you respond in times of need, want, desire, and desperation? We need. We desire. We take. Because we are self-focused people, we can be driven to be more concerned with ourselves than others. This includes how we see and interact with the material world. We functionally believe the very existence of the world, society, those around you exist for you to be made much of. So hourly and daily we talk in our heads about how any situation is making us feel, how to act in ways that will lead to our own self benefit. We’ve got to watch out for #1 and that’s always us. This happens both in times of great need and times of great abundance. This is us having an orientation towards our selves at the expense of how our actions affect other people. When we are needy or greedy, we close our hands on what we have out of fear we will not have enough. When we have much, we think most about how we will because we assume all that we have, have been given, or possess is our alone rather than from God. Our desires are usually very immediate, temporary, and selfish so we too often desire immediate comfort over long term correction. Part of our challenge is we believe and act as if we will find the most enjoyment and fullness from consuming over contributing. To have our hands opened to give, share, and be generous in ways which cost us requires courage. Generosity, in all its forms is an act of faith and courage relying not on what we possess but who we behold and how we understand the blessings we have received and the responsibility we have been given. This courage is birthed from being reorientated to see what we have been given and how we give.

We are not yet perfect. Anyone want to argue otherwise? If we are Christians our eyes are open to recognize sin is real, brokenness impacts and influences us and the world in a variety of ways, yet we are called to holiness. Surely we can all just give ourselves a pass for our actions and attitudes over the past year a least because of all the societal challenges, right? But if we’re honest with ourselves we haven’t always been crushing it in the best of times let alone the worst of times (Which I don’t contend is right now) While it seems like we’re landed but waiting for our gate to deplane to get back to “normal” we cannot be whole reliant our circumstances to change for us to experience real change in our lives and our souls. Even prefect conditions can and do still lead to sin and failure. What does endurance like individually and relationally when sin is real? Affliction comes in many forms. We experience grief for many different reasons. While the actions of others can discourage us, it is often our choices which cause us the greatest pain. Where we are personally derailed by the impact of sin, repentance is needed to return us to the path of endurance. Where we are discouraged we need to find comfort and encouragement to not despair. We don’t do this alone or with our own strength. In Christ we have been made new AND we are called pursue being new for our joy and God’s glory.

Let’s talk about influence and effectiveness? We have strong internal desires and powerful external influences competing for our attention and affection. Some helpful, some harmful. We think of influence in negative terms because we believe we are this steady immovable rock neutral or right in how we see and engage the world. Yet, all of us are influenced our entire lives in countless ways positively and negatively. If we are Christians our eyes are open to recognize sin is real, brokenness impacts and influences us and the world in a variety of ways, yet we are called to holiness. What does endurance look like in a world opposed to God? Retreat- Sin is a disease we could catch and need to avoid at all costs so the best way to do that is bunker down in a holy huddle. This is attractive because it appears safe but neglects that we’ve got the disease too. It is big on calling out sins the community isn’t actively engaged with while ignoring those which remain present. Receive- Sin doesn’t exist (at least not the way God defines it) doesn’t have consequences or is in fact not something to be avoided but is something to accept, affirm, and even advocate for. This is attractive because all sin starts with a promise of greater/flourishing life/pleasure purpose, etc. and is usually popular so it appears to be acceptable. However, it ignores the reality of…… sin is real has consequences, shame, separation, and eventually death. It at times includes even a rejection or denial of objective reality itself. Sin’s promises are empty - This is not a new issue, it is one dealt with in generation after generation and it presents itself in different ways so when/where/who we grew up with, run with now, or listen to have a great impact on how we see and engage the world. None of us are neutral, while In Christ we have been made new AND we are called to holiness for the purposes of our joy and God’s glory. How can we stay actively engaged with the world without engaging in active sin? Faithful endurance requires Courageous Division.