June 3, 2007
Why We Need the Church
1 Thessalonians 5: 1- 11
This past week there was a story in papers about Jim Cole of Bozeman, MT who was severely mauled by a grizzly bear in Yellowstone National Park. Although the incident happened about a week ago, Cole is still unable to speak, was breathing through a ventilator, and is being fed through a tube. In the words of family friend Rich Berman, he's "lucky to be alive. According to park officials Cole was alone photographing bears in one of their prime habitats when a female with a single cub suddenly attacked. The bear hit Cole twice on the head and face with its claws. It's unknown how he escaped. But afterward he hiked 2 to 3 miles back to road before he was spotted. What's really weird is that as sad as this tragedy was, Cole should have known better. In 1993 he was hiking in Glacier National Park when he surprised a young grizzly, which ripped open his scalp and broke his wrist before a friend managed to stop the attack using pepper spray. Three years ago park rangers ticketed Cole, saying he intentionally came within 100 yards of a grizzly female and two cubs. Cole didn't even follow his own advice. He is a wildlife photographer who has written two about grizzlies and in both he has warned people to photograph these dangerous animals only from the safety of the road. It's truly sad what happened to him, but he really should have known better.
You should know better. That's what Paul is saying to the Thessalonian Christians in our scripture for today. He has been writing them about the Day of the Lord (or some of us might know it better as Judgment Day.) It's the day when Jesus will come back to judge the living and dead. Now, that day is going to come as surprise to many. Look at verse 3, 3While people are saying, "Peace and safety," destruction will come on them suddenly, as labor pains on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape.
Jesus himself, in Luke 17: 26 compared the day he returns to day God sent the flood,
Just as it was in the days of Noah, so also will it be in the days of the Son of Man. 27People were eating, drinking, marrying and being given in marriage up to the day Noah entered the ark. Then the flood came and destroyed them all.
People will be living their lives worried about the price of gas, bickering with their spouse, hollering at the kids, getting excited because the Brewers won a game and Cubs lived up to expectations, when all of a sudden the trumpets will sound, the heavens will open, and a dazzling light will blind us all. And God will rip his way into our world. What a shock!!!
But then listen to verses 4- 5 again,
4But you, brothers, are not in darkness so that this day should surprise you like a thief. 5You are all sons of the light and sons of the day. We do not belong to the night or to the darkness
Basically, he's saying that Christians should know better. Not only do we know and believe what the Bible says. But, as 2 Corinthians 5: 17 tells
7Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!
We are a new creation- we are no longer part of the fallen world, but part of God's new redeemed creation-his new heaven and earth. That is certainly true. Yet, if we are honest, we have to admit that all too often we act like the old creation. We have to admit that what Apostle Paul says in Romans 7: 19 was true for him is also true for us,
For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do-this I keep on doing.
Sometimes we can blame the situation and the split second decisions we have to make. And given the lack of reflection time we make the wrong decision. That's what happened to me last Friday evening. We all went to the movies here in Beaver Dam. Because our daughters couldn't agree which move to watch, I decided to with one daughter to one movie; my wife, with the other two. It was starting to sprinkle, so I dropped off Brenda and the girls at the door and parked the car and then came and joined them in line. Going up to booth to pay and I hand the girl behind it my debit card.
"We don't take credit cards, sir."
I only had 5 dollars; Brenda had 21. We owed 29. One of my great weaknesses is that when I face a situation I hadn't planned on, it takes me time to respond. After 2 minutes of silence, Brenda handed me 15 dollars. "Your movie starts before ours, I'll go to the cash machine," she said.
"Okay," I responded meekly, not knowing that it had started pouring outside.
Brenda took off. I looked out. My heart sank. 5- 10 minutes later she came back soaked.
"Dave, where's the car?"
Sometimes life happens too fast... But, we can't always blame it on that, can we? Sometimes we have plenty of time and we just plain make the wrong decision. We know what we should do, but we don't do it. Maybe it's the evil influences around us; maybe it's the evil tendencies we still struggle with. Maybe we just can't lay our finger on what the problem is. But we've done what we shouldn't and we feel sad, ashamed, and a little lonely and afraid.
That's why the Holy Spirit inspired Paul to write the words of verse 11.
11Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.
People of God, that's why we have each other. That's why God called us to be church together: so that as we struggle to live the Christian life we might encourage each other and build each other up. Now some might object at this point and say. "But doesn't God give us his Holy Spirit to live inside us. I thought the Holy Spirit was the one who helps us live the Christian life. I thought the Spirit used the Word to instruct us and then he empowers us. All true. But, think back to how the Holy Spirit brought you to faith. You might recall some time ago during a morning service I polled those of you who were here on how you came to faith in Jesus. Over 90% of you said that you came to believe in Jesus because of a parent, Sunday School teacher, pastor, relative, or friend. Others of you came to believe during an evangelistic or revival service. Very few if any of you said you became a Christian because you sat alone with the Bible and studied it yourself. The Apostle himself points to that same truth when he writes in Romans 10: 14
14How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them.
Certainly the Holy Spirit was involved. He had to make our dead hearts alive before we would ever trust in Jesus and the message of salvation. Yet, the Spirit used other people to bring us that message. So, too he uses others to help us in our struggle to live like the new creation he saved us to be... to live as Children of the Light...to live as those who are preparing for Jesus to come at any time. And he uses us to help others. People of God, that is why we gather in churches. That is what being church is all about.
Now, how do we do that for each other? Listen to what our text says. First, Paul calls us to encourage one another. The Greek work used here is parakaleo. Jesus uses the noun of that same word to refer to the Holy Spirit. In fact, in some Bibles he is called our Paraclete; in others, this is translated Comforter; in others, Counselor. Think about this. As we were saying, we are called to be agents of God's Holy Spirit. But this also describes our task. A counselor is one who stands by another to give support (comfort) and guidance. That's what we are called to do for each other-to support each other and to at times provide guidance. But, a good counselor does his/her work in that order. First he or she supports then, guidance. It is interesting to note that this is the second time Paul calls on members of the Thessalonian church to encourage or parakaleo one another. The first time is in chapter 4: 18, where he calls on them to give comfort to those whose loved ones have died.
There's an old statement I learned from my psychology of education professor at Calvin College. I am sure that many of you have heard it as well. That is, "No person really cares how much you know until that person knows how much you care."
That point was painfully underlined for me when I was a student intern in Chicago. One of my responsibilities was to organize a Boys and Girls Club. I managed to get about 20- 30 kids from the neighborhood to come and play games, do crafts, and listen to Bible lessons. One of these was a little boy, about 7 or 8 years old. He was a really neat kid. He came every week. He had a lot of life to him- always a smile. He could be a little mischievous at times, but so was I when I was his age. Anyway, one time we were playing soccer in church basement. The ball was soft, but not soft enough. Just before we were to break for treats, there was a loud crash as that ball came in contact with a long fluorescent bulb. Glass all over. How was I going to explain this! So, I told the kids to go to other side of the basement to get their treats and I went to get a broom. When I came back this little boy was dancing in middle of the glass trying to smash it into smaller pieces. I lost it.
And I shouted, "Of all the stupid things...
And then I let him have it. One sharp word after another-- right in front of his friends. And all along I was telling myself that I was doing it for his own good. He could have gotten terribly cut. But, the little kid was struggling to hold back tears. And finally they came and he left and I never saw him again. I never had another opportunity to tell this young man about Jesus.
No, I'm not suggesting that it is not important to give guidance or even to admonish one another and to hold one another accountable. Certainly there are many times we must do this. One of marks of a true church is that it is faithful in exercising Christian discipline. But, we must do it sensitively and we must earn that right. And we had better check and recheck our motives first.
In 1 John 2: 1- 3, the word Paraclete is also used to refer to our Lord Jesus.
1My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have one who speaks to the Father in our defense (the Greek word here is Paraclete)-Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. 2He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for„T the sins of the whole world. Whenever we point out one another's weaknesses, we must always do it by first pointing to the cross and to the forgiveness we have in Jesus Christ. And we must pray diligently for each other.
The second way we help each other to become the new creation Jesus saved us to be is to build each other up. The Greek word here is oikodomeo. It is the word that the Greeks used specifically to refer to building a house. With that in mine, let us not forget what Paul says in 1 Corinthians 6: 19,
19Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God?
Now Paul uses these words to call the Corinthian Christians to holiness. We too must call one another to holiness-- that is to be a people set apart to serve the Lord and to show that by the way we live.
Yet, before we can truly do this, we must view each other as temples of the Holy Spirit-as houses in whom God himself lives. But, is that truly how we view each other? If it is, how can we say such cruel things about one another? Why do we gossip about each other? Why do we see each other as obstacles. Why do we talk about one another's weaknesses?
Sometimes to build up people we must encourage them to tear down the things in their lives that impede their becoming the temples that Jesus saved us to be. But, we must never lose site of who they are- temples of the Holy Spirit- places where God lives in this dark world.
People of God, I hope you noticed the slight change of emphasis that came as we studied this text together. We began by asking how the church can help us be the sons and daughters of light-the new creation Jesus saved us to be-the people who are prepared for his second coming. But somewhere in our discussion we switched to talking about how we can do this for each other. Beloved in the Lord, it is in serving each other that this church can become a place where we all can be encouraged and built up. It is in serving each other that we also become the new creation we were saved us to be. It is in serving in serving each other that we become like Jesus.
Let us pray,
Lord, make me an instrument of Thy peace;
where there is hatred, let me sow love;
where there is injury, pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
and where there is sadness, joy.
O Divine Master,
grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console;
to be understood, as to understand;
to be loved, as to love;
for it is in giving that we receive,
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned,
and it is in dying that we are born to Eternal Life.
Amen.