The problem with perfume

My parents say I broke a lot of hangers when I was a child. My mother would lay out my clothes for me, but I wanted to choose my own clothes. I would go to the closet and pull down what I wanted to wear. The resulting fashion sense looked like this...

 I'm on the left in those sweet L.A. Gears

On the left again, in the floral print shorts

This killer fashion sense carried over to my college years and beyond...

Who doesn't wear athletic shorts with their tie and blazer?

 

Rocking the orange faux alligator skin shoes at Newscenter 25 in Victoria, Tex.

The point is, from an early age I was a fairly independent dude. That wasn't always a good thing. When I was about two or three, my parents say we were on a family vacation and headed to the hotel swimming pool when I ran out in front and jumped right in the deep end. As you can imagine I wasn't much of a swimmer. My desire to do everything myself put me in serious danger as I began to sink. Because I am writing this blog, it is obvious I did not drown that day. Fortunately, my dad jumped in to save me.

I think this is what it looks like when we try to define good and evil for ourselves. Isn't that the story in Genesis when Adam and Eve are convinced that the fruit will make them as smart as God. They eat the fruit and there are consequences. Evil enters into the world and Adam and Eve are banished from the garden (Genesis 3). This scenario plays out over and over again throughout the Old Testament when people try to live independently from God. Even today when we try to define good and evil for ourselves and seek happiness outside of God we find ourselves drowning in the deep end (Romans 6:23).

The truth is we live in a broken world. We live in the deep end and the only way to get out is to be rescued. But, how many people around us don't even realize they are drowning? In his book "The Invisible War", Donald Grey Barnhouse wrote, "The Church was not left in this world to perfume the dung-heap of fallen humanity, but to take out, one by one, those who will be saved from the coming destruction.”

There is a lot of wisdom in the quote. So, how do we "take out" those will be saved? The answer is pretty simple: we point to Jesus, the one who came to rescue us. That's what it means to be the light of the world (Matthew 5:14-16).

I remember singing "This Little Light of Mine" as a child. The second verse is, "Hide it under a bushel? NO! I'm gonna let it shine." That is an eternal truth, not just a song for children.

You see, we as Christians are called to live in the world, but not of the world. The church is in the world to call others to the savior. But, we are instructed to not be conformed to it (Romans 12:2). That means we are to look to Jesus to define us; our definition of good and evil and our sense of happiness.

Paint, Piercing and Propitiation

Okay, yes it's the classic alliteration perhaps overused by some preachers (there's another "p" if you're keeping track). But, it really does sum up what the sermon is all about.

Posted below is video of my sermon from Monrovia in December. I shared a message that has been pretty heavy on my heart the last few months. I have been thinking a lot about what it means to follow Jesus after reading Kyle Idleman's "not a fan" (You should check it out if you haven't read it). There is one quote from chapter 10 that really got me thinking. Idleman says, "A belief, no matter how sincere, if not reflected in reality isn't a belief; it's a delusion." I even wrote about it in my last blog post. 

I've taught bible classes on this concept of living out our belief using some ideas from Idleman. That morphed into a sermon in November at Wichester Road Church of Christ. From that sermon, I expanded on a couple of ideas and with the help of a video from Jefferson Bethke, developed the sermon below. 

Is your faith delusional?

Are you a follower of Jesus?

That's the question Kyle Idleman leads with in not a fan. I finished this book in the fall of last year (I highly recommend it) and was forced to take a personal inventory of my life and really think about what it means to be a follower.

It's more than just calling myself a Christian, or a even a minister for that matter. Being a follower is being sold out for God.

Is it weird that I have a favorite body wash? Well, I do. And, unfortunately it has been discontinued. I like to use Old Spice Game Day Body Wash.

About two years ago, I ran out and went to buy another bottle only to realize I couldn't find it. As I continued to look, sometimes I would find the label on store shelves, but there was not a single bottle available. It was sold out. And, because it was discontinued that meant they weren't getting any more. Do you realize the implications of a product being sold out. That means it's all gone. There is none left. I would even ask an employee if I was missing something or if they had more in the back to no avail. The bottles were all gone.

Let's translate that to our faith. If you are sold out for God that means you are holding nothing back. Everything you have you give to him. When we become followers of God, he intends for us to be sold out. Jesus makes that clear in Luke 9:23 when he says, "if anyone wishes to come after me, he must deny himself..."

I really like the way Kyle puts it on page 106 of not a fan.

Have you thought about your faith in those terms? You can say you are a Christian. You can go to church on Sunday and have a bumper sticker on your car. But, are you living out what you say you believe. If not, perhaps you are delusional.

These are hard words. For me, it's a work in progress. I find areas of my life that I am holding back from God. Some of my thoughts and actions don't always reflect my belief. Fortunately, I serve a God of grace and find healing through Jesus Christ as I strive to live out my faith. My goal is to be sold out to him, "looking to Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith" (Hebrews 12).