Fashionable Faith
Commentary
Once when I was pastor of a small church, a new couple began to attend and became quite faithful. They were new to the community and belonged to another denomination. One day someone asked them why they chose not to go to the big and successful church in town, but instead chose the small struggling church in the suburbs. Their reply was that when someone from the other church had come to them, they had said, "At our church you can put on your Sunday best and your white gloves and know that you are at home."
Now I tell that story not to assault some other denomination. We have more than enough of that. I do tell it, however, to point out that there are many whose attendance at church is due to social custom, family habit, or community pressure. There are those who never miss, who look like all the rest, but when the going gets tough, don't look for them.
I once heard one of the great preachers of our century, Dr. Carlyle Marney, say that most of us go to church on Sunday hoping to God that we could become what we look like we are.
It is so easy to take on the color of our background, to reflect the values and the commitments of those about us. It is much easier to practice the rituals of the faith than to live the faith. In all likelihood all of us are guilty of show religion to some extent.
Here Luke has Jesus speak a needed word to his people. Things are going to get tough. The Temple (church) cannot save you. The call is to a living faith that does not exhibit outer symbols and an inner lack of reality. (Check out 2 Timothy 3:5.)
OUTLINE I
A Song of Praise
Psalm 98
Introduction: What a wonderful call to worship. In the midst of so many psalms which are imprecations against their enemies this kind of Psalm stands as a shining light. Here is a Psalm that can unashamedly be a part of any Christian worship service. I think that, since most people to whom you speak are generally uninformed about the Psalms, the best way to deal with one such as this is to treat it in three sections.
A. Verse 1-3. Just think of the many times that this Psalm can be relevant. It can be used at any time in history that God's people see his hand in their victories of any kind. This gives the Psalm a timeless nature. What victory is being spoken of here? The exodus, the winning of the homeland, the return from exile? Here is an opportunity to talk about many of the experiences of these people.
B. Verses 4-6. Here voice and instrument are called to lift up the voice of praise. What a clamor these must have made in the temple precincts. When we compare the usually uninspired singing in most of our congregations, we wonder if they have anything to sing about.
C. Verse 7-9. All nature is called to praise. Remember that phrase from the hymn, "This is My Father's World,"
All nature sings, and ëround me rings, the music of the sphere.
Conclusion: All of the first verses of this poem lead one to the final verse that states the real reason for it all. This is one who comes and judges with righteousness and equity. We do not need to be afraid.
OUTLINE II
Going through the motions
Zechariah 7:1-10
Introduction: If you are looking for a succinct prophetic explanation for the captivity of Israel in Babylon, look no further. In these lines we discover a key insight into matters of the faith. Spelled out here is the difference between the form of religion and the substance of it. One cannot help but remember the words of Isaiah (29:13) and his accusation that the people worship with their lips but that their hearts are far from God, or Paul's assertion that the real need for all of us is circumcision of the heart rather than the body.
A. A religious people. Just turn to Amos 4:4 for a summary of the words of that eighth-century prophet who had confronted Israel with her empty worship and to no avail. No doubt this is what is spoken of in 7:7. They had had their opportunity. Their sins had been called to their attention and yet they continued in their rituals and ceremonies. Like the church at Laodicea they were neither cold nor hot.
B. Fasting as a show. Remember what Jesus said about fasting that was little more than show meant to convince others of one's piety. Check it out in Matthew 6. It is interesting to note that throughout the Bible the problem is not that people are atheists but that they are truly religious. Their religion is designed to guarantee the favor of the gods. Here the people are reminded that that love is already given and that their religious life is meant to be a response to grace rather than some spiritual gymnastics meant to ensure it.
Conclusion: Surely you will have no difficulty in listing those things that are a part of hypocritical religion in your own church. Take care as you preach. Remember that the pastor does have a prophetic role, but that it is in tension with the pastoral role. Prophets were never assigned to local churches.
OUTLINE III
Faithfulness in Times of Stress
Luke 21:5-19
Introduction: Do keep it in mind that these words of Jesus were both selected and probably edited to be suitable for the people whom Luke is addressing. It is now the mid-80s of the first century. The emperor Domitian demands that all call him "Lord" and "God." He has vowed to wipe this new religious sect off the face of the map. Those who have held fast to their faith are paying a great price, sometimes with their lives. Now this scripture begins to make some sense.
A. Don't trust in the Temple. There were those who taught that since the Temple was the dwelling place of God no harm would ever befall the Temple or Jerusalem. This was a critical issue in those days. Just take time to turn to Acts and read the story of Stephen again. There you will discover that those who trusted in the temple are reminded that God does not live in houses made with hands.
B. Hang in there. When the going seems impossible, there is an opportunity for one to witness in the midst of difficulty. We have no idea what a challenge this was in Luke's day. In our day we speak of suffering for the faith and persecution because of our faith and think that we are in league with those of Luke's day. They really knew what real persecution was about. There are, of course, many places in our world where great persecution comes to those who proclaim and hold to their faith. But for the most part, to those of us who have lived and grown up in the United States where it is acceptable, even fashionable, to be Christians, this word seems not to apply.
Conclusion: No doubt Jesus prepared his disciples for what was surely to come to them. And Luke prepared his church. Do we take time to prepare our people? While many will never bear such burdens as did the Christians in the first century, there are places in this world, and may be places in our very midst, where the cost of discipleship is real.
Now I tell that story not to assault some other denomination. We have more than enough of that. I do tell it, however, to point out that there are many whose attendance at church is due to social custom, family habit, or community pressure. There are those who never miss, who look like all the rest, but when the going gets tough, don't look for them.
I once heard one of the great preachers of our century, Dr. Carlyle Marney, say that most of us go to church on Sunday hoping to God that we could become what we look like we are.
It is so easy to take on the color of our background, to reflect the values and the commitments of those about us. It is much easier to practice the rituals of the faith than to live the faith. In all likelihood all of us are guilty of show religion to some extent.
Here Luke has Jesus speak a needed word to his people. Things are going to get tough. The Temple (church) cannot save you. The call is to a living faith that does not exhibit outer symbols and an inner lack of reality. (Check out 2 Timothy 3:5.)
OUTLINE I
A Song of Praise
Psalm 98
Introduction: What a wonderful call to worship. In the midst of so many psalms which are imprecations against their enemies this kind of Psalm stands as a shining light. Here is a Psalm that can unashamedly be a part of any Christian worship service. I think that, since most people to whom you speak are generally uninformed about the Psalms, the best way to deal with one such as this is to treat it in three sections.
A. Verse 1-3. Just think of the many times that this Psalm can be relevant. It can be used at any time in history that God's people see his hand in their victories of any kind. This gives the Psalm a timeless nature. What victory is being spoken of here? The exodus, the winning of the homeland, the return from exile? Here is an opportunity to talk about many of the experiences of these people.
B. Verses 4-6. Here voice and instrument are called to lift up the voice of praise. What a clamor these must have made in the temple precincts. When we compare the usually uninspired singing in most of our congregations, we wonder if they have anything to sing about.
C. Verse 7-9. All nature is called to praise. Remember that phrase from the hymn, "This is My Father's World,"
All nature sings, and ëround me rings, the music of the sphere.
Conclusion: All of the first verses of this poem lead one to the final verse that states the real reason for it all. This is one who comes and judges with righteousness and equity. We do not need to be afraid.
OUTLINE II
Going through the motions
Zechariah 7:1-10
Introduction: If you are looking for a succinct prophetic explanation for the captivity of Israel in Babylon, look no further. In these lines we discover a key insight into matters of the faith. Spelled out here is the difference between the form of religion and the substance of it. One cannot help but remember the words of Isaiah (29:13) and his accusation that the people worship with their lips but that their hearts are far from God, or Paul's assertion that the real need for all of us is circumcision of the heart rather than the body.
A. A religious people. Just turn to Amos 4:4 for a summary of the words of that eighth-century prophet who had confronted Israel with her empty worship and to no avail. No doubt this is what is spoken of in 7:7. They had had their opportunity. Their sins had been called to their attention and yet they continued in their rituals and ceremonies. Like the church at Laodicea they were neither cold nor hot.
B. Fasting as a show. Remember what Jesus said about fasting that was little more than show meant to convince others of one's piety. Check it out in Matthew 6. It is interesting to note that throughout the Bible the problem is not that people are atheists but that they are truly religious. Their religion is designed to guarantee the favor of the gods. Here the people are reminded that that love is already given and that their religious life is meant to be a response to grace rather than some spiritual gymnastics meant to ensure it.
Conclusion: Surely you will have no difficulty in listing those things that are a part of hypocritical religion in your own church. Take care as you preach. Remember that the pastor does have a prophetic role, but that it is in tension with the pastoral role. Prophets were never assigned to local churches.
OUTLINE III
Faithfulness in Times of Stress
Luke 21:5-19
Introduction: Do keep it in mind that these words of Jesus were both selected and probably edited to be suitable for the people whom Luke is addressing. It is now the mid-80s of the first century. The emperor Domitian demands that all call him "Lord" and "God." He has vowed to wipe this new religious sect off the face of the map. Those who have held fast to their faith are paying a great price, sometimes with their lives. Now this scripture begins to make some sense.
A. Don't trust in the Temple. There were those who taught that since the Temple was the dwelling place of God no harm would ever befall the Temple or Jerusalem. This was a critical issue in those days. Just take time to turn to Acts and read the story of Stephen again. There you will discover that those who trusted in the temple are reminded that God does not live in houses made with hands.
B. Hang in there. When the going seems impossible, there is an opportunity for one to witness in the midst of difficulty. We have no idea what a challenge this was in Luke's day. In our day we speak of suffering for the faith and persecution because of our faith and think that we are in league with those of Luke's day. They really knew what real persecution was about. There are, of course, many places in our world where great persecution comes to those who proclaim and hold to their faith. But for the most part, to those of us who have lived and grown up in the United States where it is acceptable, even fashionable, to be Christians, this word seems not to apply.
Conclusion: No doubt Jesus prepared his disciples for what was surely to come to them. And Luke prepared his church. Do we take time to prepare our people? While many will never bear such burdens as did the Christians in the first century, there are places in this world, and may be places in our very midst, where the cost of discipleship is real.
