Do You Still Want To Be A “Christian”?

Summary: The blessings of God are too numerous and wonderful to ignore.  Yet, the ignorance of others results in our persecution —not so good.

Scripture focus: Ezekiel 36:24–28; John 15:26–16:4a

Date: Sunday, 16 May 2010 (St John’s Sutherland, 7:00pm)

Listen: Do You Still Want To Be A Christian

On Knowing What You’re Getting Into With Faith

Since I began preaching regularly here at St John’s, in early April, I have been somewhat loosely following a series of topics looking at various issues related to making a decision of faith in Jesus: Is there enough evidence to support faith in Jesus?  If evidence is not enough, what do we really need to be convinced to have faith in Jesus?  Can we let go of our pride enough to have faith in Jesus, for the sake of faith’s blessings?  What kind of faith and lifestyle does God expect from us? There will be some time later in the service for us to discuss any issues raised by these sermons for which you would like some clarification.

Tonight, that loosely-formed series comes to a conclusion of sorts.  However, rather than convincing you to have faith in Jesus, I just might scare you away!

You might remember me mentioning, in a previous sermon, my once becoming a junior member of my home church so that I could meet some pretty girls.  I admitted to you that I never did date any of those girls.  The deeper reason for this —by “deeper” I mean other than that they could not handle my easy charm and rugged good looks— the real reason was that I did not really fit in with the other youth of that church.  While they were all upper-middle class Preppies, I was a Goth-Punk from the wrong side of the tracks … literally.  When I chose to have faith in Jesus, and to live my life under his care and guidance, I still did not fit in with most typical Christians.  This bothered me.

It just did not make sense to me that I had to give up some of the things that I loved and that represented the unique person I was.  Then I discovered Christian music festivals.

At the Greenfest festival in Kitchener, Ontario, in the Canadian summer of 1988, I got to experience Christian punks and Christian punk rock music, and I discovered that it was spiritually acceptable to “kick butt for Jesus”.  I had a great time and discovered my pathway to the joy-filled Christian life: music.

While I have experienced some great ‘highs’ as a Christian, I have also experienced some terrible ‘lows’.  In fact, about 3 years ago I began to burnout.  Luckily, I recognised the symptoms early —actually, the anxiety attacks that resulted whenever I thought about my church weren’t all that hard to recognise— and I sought help.  To be completely honest, I am still recovering from that time in many ways.

For this reason, you will never hear me try to convince you that the Christian life is smooth and easy.  In fact, let me remind you that God’s standards for his people are not easy nor easy to ignore (Rev 3:15).

I will always try to inspire and convince others to choose life through faith in Jesus, but I will do so by presenting what is real about Christian faith and lifestyle.  And, it is absolutely true, that choosing faith in always preferable to the alternative offered by the World around us.

Ezekiel 36:24–28 vs. John 15:26–16:4a

We have had read for us two passages from the Bible tonight.  Rather than complement each other, I believe that, like those chosen for my last sermon, these passages conflict with each other, at least on the surface.  By investigating that conflict, we will either turn and run away from faith in Jesus or we will step forward humbly, to follow Jesus’ lead, wherever he may take us, as did the apostle Thomas when he stated, “Let us also go, that we may die with him” (Jn 11:16).

In reading the few verses from Ezekiel chosen for this message, we are granted a glorious glimpse into the life lived by faith in Jesus.  In this passage is described many of the blessings and benefits of faith, not the least of which being a changed “heart”.

“A changed heart?” you may question me.  “Why would anyone need their heart changed?”

Of course, neither I nor God are speaking of a change in our physical heart.  By “heart”, the Bible refers to the central core of our personality.  One commentary offered the following definition:

“Heart” signifies the total inner self, a person’s hidden core of being (1 Pt 3:4), with which one communes, which one “pours out” in prayer, words, and deeds (Gn 17:17; Ps 62:8; Mt 15:18, 19).  It is the genuine self, distinguished from appearance, public position, and physical presence (1 Sm 16:7; 2 Cor 5:12; 1 Thes 2:17).  And this “heart-self” has its own nature, character, disposition (cf. Mt 12:33–37).¹

This definition still does explain why we would need our heart changed.

God is concerned with our hearts, not with our intellect or culture or scientific progress.  Current events prove this.  All the great strides forward in popular education and all the benefits of affluence of recent years have not been able to prevent the breakdown of family life, the plague of broken marriages, battered children, and the general increase in crime.  In spite of all the scientific knowledge amassed in the past one hundred years, we cannot prevent wars, we cannot find work for millions of people, and we cannot cure the racial hatred and distrust that abounds in our cities.²

Human nature has been irrevocably affected by our rebellion against God, our Creator, Preserver and Governor.  Our “heart” has become defiled by the sin that separates us from God and corrupted by our self-centeredness.  Our heart has become like stone.  We cannot decide to do better next time; we cannot put any amount of effort into becoming better people; we cannot create a new technology or adjust our society in any way that will change our situation.  The problem is our heart and it cannot be repaired; it can only be replaced.  And replace it, God will: “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh” (Eze 36:26).

God is not happy with our predicament and does not want to leave us in the mess that we have created for ourselves.  He could treat us as our sins deserve, but chose instead to do something about it, even though it meant paying the ultimate price and sacrificing his own Son, Jesus, in order to reconcile us to God (Ps 103:10; Jn 3:16-17).  Interestingly, God has not done this because we deserve to be rescued, rather as an act of his grace (Eze 36:32).

What does Ezekiel tell us is the benefit of being reconciled to God, of having our hearts changed?

1. We are restored to God, as if brought into a sanctuary under his care and protection (Ez 36:24);
2. We are cleansed from the effects of sin, both our personal rebellion against God and the after-effects of the Original Sin (Ez 36:25-26);
3. The Holy Spirit comes into our life, giving us a new direction to and power for life (Ez 36:27);
4. Also, we enter into a new relationship with God, becoming his “people”, his “children” (Ez 36:28; Jn 1:12); and,
5. Later in the chapter, we are also told that we will discover a loathing for our sin, which will compel us to resist those attitudes and behaviours that kept us from God and his blessings in the first place (Ez 36:31).³

I don’t know about you, but these are what I want from my faith.  I long to have my heart changed completely.  Unfortunately, the story of Christian faith and lifestyle does not end with these.

Our passage from John reaffirms the promises made through Ezekiel when Jesus declares that the Holy Spirit will be given to those who love, trust and obey (Jn 15:26a).  The believer enters into the eternal fellowship of those who have taken up those promises for themselves, those for whom “faith is credited as righteousness” (Rm 4:3-8).

The Spirit’s job will be to “testify about me” (Jn 15:26b).  If we remember that earlier in John, Jesus stated that the Spirit “will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you” (Jn 14:26), we could also be forgiven for thinking that the promised blessings are for our personal benefit,  —and how nice would that be?

Unfortunately, this is where the life of the Christian becomes dangerous and scary; the place at which those who merely profess their allegiance are shown to be false believers.  Jesus continued to outline that his faithful people will, by the Spirit, go out both from and with their blessedness, into the World to tell the people of the World about him (Jn 15:27).  This wouldn’t be so bad if it weren’t for the fact that “the hour is coming when those who kill you will think they are offering a service to God” (Jn 16:2).  That doesn’t sound like, “and a good time will be had by all”!

Indeed, John reaffirms those blessed promises made in Ezekiel, but then adds the condition that, with those promises, will very likely come persecution.  It’s very nice that Jesus told us these things because he does not want us to fall away (Jn 16:1), but that doesn’t change the fact that they will likely do those things to us because they themselves do believe in God or Jesus (Jn 16:3).  With or without Jesus warning us about these things (Jn 16:4a), this potential for persecution does not bode well nor bolster the argument for us to have faith in God.

Something To Think About

I am not surprised when someone tells me that they don’t want to believe in Jesus because they don’t want to change their lifestyle.  I’m disappointed, but not surprised.  It’s a ‘big ask’ of anyone; yet there remains a very good reason for you to reconsider choosing to allow God to change your heart.

Jesus told his disciples, “I have told you this, so that when their hour comes you will remember that I warned you about them.  I did not tell you this from the beginning because I was with you” (Jn 16:4).  While Jesus was with them, in person, they had nothing to fear from any opponents who would arise.  He now told them this because there was coming a time, with his death upon the cross, that he would no longer be with them.  During that time there would be no protection for them.

What we are in danger of forgetting is that Jesus was only absent from for 50 days!  On the day of Pentecost, he made good his promise and sent the Holy Spirit to be with them.  From that point on the Holy Spirit would protect them, guide them, comfort them, give them the words to say in the face of their opponents.  After Pentecost, there is no longer any reason for the people of God to feel alone, even in the face of persecution.

This is why Jesus could confidently state, ““All this I have told you so that you will not fall away ” (Jn 16:1).  So, when we are in danger of falling away from our faith and Jesus-inspired lifestyle, we would do well to remember that Jesus is with us, through the Holy Spirit, and that we are not alone.  We have available to us all the resources to withstand the pressures from without and within.  All we have to do is to love, trust and obey.

And make no mistake about it, such persecution as that described by Jesus is now happening.  In fact, Family First NSW Leader Dr Gordon Moyes wrote a press release this week arguing that Secularism is becoming aggressively hostile.  Dr Moyes wrote

that the laws originally designed to promote social justice for all minorities are being turned around and used against Christians by hostile secularists.  “We see this constantly in the threats against Christian charities, in Christian organizations and schools over their hiring of Christian employees, and in court cases against Christian childcare organisations that are refusing gay couples the right to foster or adopt the children, and in local councils rejecting Christian groups applying to meet in community centres.”

“Expressing the simple belief that a child is better off with both a mother and a father is enough provocation for Christian organizations to be attacked and prosecuted.  This antipathy is also seen in the attempt to provide Ethics classes in schools at the same time as Scripture classes, the Bills to stop prayers in Parliament, and to change the funding support for Christian schools.”⁴

Indeed, Neo-Atheists have adopted the posture and practices of fundamentalist evangelists in spreading their message for the abolishment of religion.  They are firmly convinced of the righteousness of their cause, and this is enough to strike fear into my heart at the potential ramifications of their hatred.

What would Gordon do about all this?  “Christians need to become much more proactive in protecting their rights against such aggressively hostile secularism.”  He is correct, but above all else we must be sure to live out our faith from the confidence that comes from knowing that the Holy Spirit is with us and in us at all times.

We do not to be ashamed of the Gospel or of our faith (Rm 1:16), when we do the right things.  Indeed, it is written, “let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven” (Mt 5:16; cf. 1Cor 10:31; Php 1:11).  Elsewhere is added, “Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us.” (1 Peter 2:12; cf. Tit 2:6-8).  If we love, trust and obey Jesus, then we know that he is with us always (Mt 28:20), “and the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (Php 4:7).

Conclusion

If you are considering choosing faith in Jesus to be the guiding principle of your life, do not be convinced by promises that “all will be beautiful and nothing hurts”.  Indeed, for a religion in which its god dies tortured on a cross, you’ve got to know that there may be some difficulties.  However, that point of suffering is exactly the point that should convince you.

Jesus willingly took on that punishment for you, knowing that it would lead to something so much better for you.  If there is a little pain and suffering along the way for you, that will always pale in comparison to that suffered by Jesus.  Nevertheless, he has promised, “surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age” (Mt 28:20).  That has always been good enough for me.  I hope that it is good enough for you as well.

If you already believe and follow Jesus, but are burdened by the pressures upon you, because of your faith, then let me encourage you to stand strong.  Those promises offered in Ezekiel and reaffirmed in John still stand for you.  Oswald Chambers, in his great devotional classic, My Utmost For His Highest, reminds us that

We have all had times on the [mountaintop], when we have seen things from God’s standpoint and have wanted to stay there; but God will never allow us to stay there.  The test of our spiritual life is the power to descend; if we have power to rise only, something is wrong.  It is a great thing to be on the [mountaintop] with God, but a man only gets there in order that afterwards he may get down among the devil-possessed and lift them up.  We are not built for the mountains and the dawns and aesthetic affinities, those are for moments of inspiration, that is all.  We are built for the valley, for the ordinary stuff we are in, and that is where we have to prove our mettle.⁵

You may find yourself in a deep valley, with seemingly no hope of coming up for air (cf. Ps 23).  But you have made the right choice!  It is written,

Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope.  And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us (Romans 5:3–5).

God’s love and Holy Spirit are yours, if you so choose by faith and that can’t be taken away from you!

In the end, God Rules!, and that is all that matters.

Let us pray:

Almighty and Ever-loving God,
we are so overwhelmed by your love
and have gathered here to reaffirm our love for you.
We are so thankful that you have not treated us as our sins deserve
but have instead declared that
as high as the heavens are above the earth,
so great is your love for those who fear you.
Thank you also for being with us always
in the form and power of your Holy Spirit;
help us to enjoy the mountaintop experiences,
when they come,
but to also let our light shine in the valleys,
and they come often.
May we never do anything to bring dishonour to your Name.
Help those of us who are struggling under our burdens,
to place them trustingly upon your offered shoulders.
Help also those of us who are still considering
the pros and cons of faith in your Son, Jesus.
May they come to know your love and power
and decide with confidence
to not merely profess their allegiance in you,
but to not turn aside from living for you wholeheartedly.
May we all yet enjoy your blessings
that are too numerous and wonderful to ignore;
yet not for our sake,
but for the glory of your Kingdom.
These things we pray in Jesus’ name.  Amen.

Endnotes