An Open Door Blog

Sermon preview:

2012-01-26T10:30:00.001-06:00

This past week was the 21^st anniversary of the day I asked Carrie to marry me. My wife is an old-fashioned kind of girl, so before I proposed, I knew it was important for me to ask her parents for their blessing. It was one of the scariest moments of my life. I had to stand before these very successful, intelligent, godly people and convince them that they should entrust their youngest daughter to a guy with no money, no job, and frankly, no clue. I did my best to convince them that I would take good care of her, and I guess my sales pitch worked.

Recently, I read the account of another young man who asked for a girl’s hand in marriage. Over 200 years ago, Adoniram Judson felt the call of God to take the Gospel to Burma, which had virtually no Christian witness at the time. Shortly before he was to leave, he met Ann Haseltine and fell madly in love. He wrote her father a letter, asking for her hand. Now, imagine you have a 22 year old daughter, and this is the letter you get:

I have now to ask whether you can consent to part with your daughter early next Spring, to see her no more in this world; whether you can consent to her departure, and her subjection to the hardships and sufferings of a missionary life; whether you can consent to her exposure to the dangers of the ocean; to the fatal influence of the southern climate of India; to every kind of want and distress; to degradation, insult, persecution, and perhaps a violent death. Can you consent to all this, for the sake of Him who left His heavenly home and died for her and for you; for the sake of perishing, immortal souls; for the sake of Zion and the glory of God? Can you consent to all this, in hope of soon meeting your daughter in the world of glory, with the crown of righteousness, brightened with the acclamations of praise which shall redound to her Savior from heathens saved, through her means, from eternal woe and despair?

We sit here in a room full of committed Christians, but if we’re honest, most of us can’t even comprehend the devotion to Christ it would take to allow our little girl to go to certain suffering and probably early death based solely on the promise that we would be glad we did in eternity. We might know it’s the right thing to do, but we would come up with some reason why she couldn’t go marry this crazy missionary guy. “Your mother needs you here.” “You’re the only daughter I have.” “I just don’t think you’re cut out for that kind of life. Someone else is probably more suited for it.” We have excuses for other things too. Some of us know that God wants us to get involved in a certain ministry or mission. Some of us have relationships in need of reconciliation; we need to ask someone’s forgiveness or extend forgiveness of our own. Some know that there is someone in their lives who God is calling them to reach out to with His love. Some know they should begin tithing of their income to God’s work; others know they should get involved in a small group for Bible study and fellowship. Then there are people, probably some in this very room, who haven’t yet committed their lives to Christ. They want to; they know they should; but there is something holding them back. We all have our reasons why we haven’t done what God wants us to do. Here is one thing I know: Between the world, our own flesh, and the Devil, there will always be reasons not to obey God. If you are waiting until it becomes easy and convenient to serve the Lord with all your heart, you will never do it.

Moses is one man who can testify to that. Here is a guy who was rescued as an infant from certain death, raised in royalty and luxury, then as a young man, became a fugitive from the law after committing a murder. Now, at the outset of Exodus 3, he’s an 80-year-old shepherd in the Midianite desert, when suddenly God appears to Him in a burning bush and tells him that he has been chosen to lead the most unlikely rescue mission anyone has ever heard of. He will go back to Egypt—the place he fled from forty years before—and stand face-to-face with Pharaoh, most powerful man in the world, demanding that he let God’s people go. In this message, we'll look at the five objections Moses had to this calling, and see how God would answer you and I when we make excuses. God responds to Moses’ five objections in five different ways, but God’s responses all have something in common. See if you can spot it.

"I hate religion, but love Jesus."

2012-01-26T10:18:00.003-06:00

A young Christian named Jefferson Bethke recently posted a video on Youtube entitled "Why I hate religion, but love Jesus." The video is a spoken word presentation of the Gospel. It has gone viral, already receiving over 16 million views. The video has been the subject of numerous evangelical blogs, and at least one network TV show. Click on the link below to go to the Lifeway Ministries Research site for a look at the video itself, and also Bethke's appearance on the CBS Morning Show:

Click here

Many (including the priest who appeared with Bethke on CBS) have criticized the video for saying that Jesus came to abolish religion. You might think that, since I make me living in the organized religion business, I would agree with these critics. On the contrary, I think Bethke is right on. Now, perhaps I would have used different terminology. After all, what he is really talking about is self-righteousness, not organized religion as a whole (and Jesus was DEFINITELY against that). But Bethke used the term "religion" for its shock value (a tactic Jesus used as well). Based on the popularity of the video, I'd say his tactic worked.

More importantly, if you listen to what this guy says, it's a powerful presentation of the Gospel. I'm willing to bet that many of the 16 million people who have watched the video would never sit through one of my sermons, or any sermon at all...but through a video like this, they hear about Jesus' love and atoning death. I don't know much else about Jefferson Bethke, but consider me a huge fan.

I'd love to get your thoughts on this as well...

How to pray RADICALLY for our church

2012-01-26T09:52:00.002-06:00

In 2012, Westbury Baptist is taking THE RADICAL EXPERIMENT. We've challenged our members to:
1. Read the entire Word of God.
2. Pray for the entire world.
3. Commit to community (ie, join and attend a Sunday School class).
4. Sacrifice financially for ministry.
5. Serve in ministry outside your context.

I'm excited about the feedback I've gotten from members already this year. But I also know the human tendency to get excited about plans for personal improvement, then quickly settle back into the status quo (after all, how many of us have already given up on our New Year's diet and exercise plans?). The truth is, if revival comes to Westbury Baptist Church, it won't be because of the Radical Experiment; it will be the result of God's Holy Spirit working a miracle in our hearts. If that is true, then as important as it is for each of us to fulfill the five challenges, it is at least as important for us to pray for God to revive and renew our church. So how can we pray? A couple of weeks ago at our deacon retreat, I shared five prayer requests with our deacon body. I would love to see our entire church pray in this way. You can pray for one item each day if you like:

1. Pray that we would stick with our Bible reading. On paper, it sounds simple. Just spend 15 minutes reading 2 or 3 chapters of Scripture. If it really is the Word of God, and we really are the people of God, that should be a no-brainer, right? But anyone who has tried it knows that it takes very little to distract us from daily reading of the Word. The excuses and obstacles come at us left and right...proof of the Devil's existence, in my opinion.

2. Pray that we would gain a hunger for the things of God. When I was a kid, I didn't appreciate home-cooked food. My parents agonized over my lack of eating. But take me to McDonald's, and I would eat like a linebacker. Now, I'm the exact opposite: I will eat McD's if that's all there is, but I'll complain about it...I like GOOD food now. Why? I acquired a taste for it, and once I did, the junk food didn't taste so good anymore. The things of this world are easy to acquire and superficially satisfying. The things of God, in contrast, don't appeal to us in our human nature. But once we gain a taste for them, the things of God put the things of this world to shame.

3. Pray that we would gain a passion for God's Kingdom. This isn't just about us growing closer to God personally, as important as that is. It's also about making us more aware of--and involved in--the work God is doing around the world.

4. Pray for growth in our small group Bible Study (ie, Sunday School). Our worship attendance is strong, but it's in small group Bible study that people get the fellowship, accountability, and encouragement we need. It's also where they and their children learn how to study and apply Scripture to life. In other words, it's the backbone of our church.

5. Pray that we would begin to expect more of ourselves as a church. My prayer is that through this year, we would stop lamenting the ills of our community, and instead would become God's solution to those ills. I pray that we would stop ignoring the lostness of this world and start addressing it. In other words, I pray that we would stop seeing Westbury Baptist Church as a place we go to receive things we need, and would start seeing it as the Body of Christ, which we are privileged to participate in for His glory.

Will you join me in praying this way?

Sermon preview--Notes from a Scandal

2012-01-19T12:08:00.002-06:00

We’re reading through the Bible chronologically this year, and right now we’re in Genesis. If this is your first time to read the Bible, you may find yourself wondering why certain passages are there. Why spend most of a chapter, for instance, giving us a long genealogy full of names of people we’ve never heard of? Don’t worry; the really confusing parts are still to come. In Exodus and Leviticus, you’ll get to read the entire Hebrew legal code, the instructions for building the tabernacle and the clothes that priests should wear, and the precise way each Jewish religious festival should be celebrated. The first four chapters of Numbers are nothing but lists of, well, numbers; how many people were in each Israelite tribe, to be exact. And there are several more genealogies to come, as well. You may find yourself wondering, “Why do I need to read this? What does this have to do with my life?” It’s helpful to remember that the Bible is not an instruction manual for life. It’s a revelation of who God is and how we can know Him through a record of His dealings with people just like us. It’s also helpful to remember that the Bible is inspired by God. Everything in it is very intentional, not just for us but for past generations. So when you come to one of these confusing parts of the Scripture, ask yourself, “What would this have meant to the people who first read it?” Then ask, “How does this fit into the overall plan of God in Scripture?” For example, those laws we’ll be reading soon were very important to the people who first read them. They were the only way for those original believers to know how to relate to God and live in a way that is pleasing to Him. Even though we don’t follow those laws or celebrate those festivals, we can still learn from them about God’s holiness and His desire for us to know Him. And the instructions for building the tabernacle may seem pointless to us, but once we get to the New Testament (especially Hebrews) we see that many of those details point directly to the person and work of Jesus Christ. They show us God didn’t send Jesus as some sort of emergency rescue mission; The redeeming, atoning Son of God was the plan all along.

The story we’ll look at this Sunday is one of those kinds of passages. Next week, you will read some amazingly entertaining, inspiring stories. Then you’ll get to Genesis 38. Quite frankly, this chapter doesn’t seem to fit. Genesis 37 is all about Joseph, a story familiar to many of us. Joseph is the favorite son of his father Jacob. He gets the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat while his brothers are all wearing Dickies overalls. Then his jealous brothers, miles from home, throw him in a well. They consider murdering him, but Judah comes up with a plan—let’s get rid of our brother AND make a profit. So they sell poor Joseph into slavery. They sling blood all over his spectacular coat so that their dad will think he’s been killed by a lion or bear. Meanwhile, Joseph becomes the slave of a high official in Egypt. And just when the story is getting good, just when we’re wondering if Joseph will ever see his father again, will ever get revenge on his brothers, all of sudden we get this bizarre and rather seedy story about Joseph’s brother Judah, the one who sold him into slavery. We read this story because it’s there, and frankly the seamy details are intriguing to our baser instincts, but it doesn’t make a lot of sense to us. In this message, we’ll see what possible reason God had for recording this scandalous story for all time. It tells us something about God—and about His plans for us—that we need to know...something that could change your life.

Sermon preview--Trading Glory for Beans

2012-01-12T10:35:00.002-06:00

Eugene Peterson, the man responsible for today’s most popular paraphrase of the Bible, The Message, once observed that there are no perfect families in the Bible. Think about it: Adam and Eve’s family featured history’s first murder, an act of domestic violence. Noah had a serious problem with one of his three sons. Abraham and Sarah had fertility problems that led to an illegitimate child named Ishmael. Go right on down the list: Who had an ideal family in the Bible? Not Moses. Certainly not David. Not even Jesus Himself, for we see His own brothers mocking Him early in His ministry, and at one point, His immediate family thought He had lost His mind and came to take Him home and lock Him away. I mention that because one of the Devil’s most effective lies is to convince you that God’s church is only for people who have their act together. If you come from a dysfunctional family, or you have been divorced, or you have a child who is in rebellion right now, or your kids fought this morning, you may be tempted to think, “Maybe I shouldn’t even go to church. Maybe I’m a hypocrite. Everyone else has a perfect family but me.” In truth, God wants the best for your family and mine, but He knows that building a family is a process that takes prayer, work and time. It doesn’t happen overnight, and He is patient with us in the process.

This Sunday, we'll study Genesis 25:19-34, a look at a family in the scriptures that was far from perfect. Yet God was patient with them. In spite of their issues, He was able to redeem three of the four members of the family. We are going to focus most of our attention this time on the one who never quite figured it out. After all, one of the most effective ways to learn is to study the mistakes of those who have gone before us. We are going to look today at a man so foolish, he traded something priceless for something worthless. We'll consider examples of how we make those same kinds of bad trades in our own lives, and explore the reasons why we--otherwise intelligent people--make such huge, life-altering mistakes. And we'll see the one and only cure for the destructive forces that lie within all of us. My hope and prayer is that God will use this story to save many people from the terrible things we do to ourselves.

Sermon preview--My Redeemer Lives

2012-01-05T12:49:00.002-06:00

The book of Job is a difficult one for two reasons. First of all, it’s a terrifying story. We want to believe that if we are good people, God owes us happiness and prosperity. But Job was more righteous than any of us, and God allowed unthinkable things to happen to him: He lost all of his children and all of his wealth in one day. Then God took away his health and left him with a debilitating, seemingly chronic illness. The other difficult thing about this book is that it’s essentially a theological debate between Job and three of his friends. After Job loses everything, when he’s so downhearted that his own wife encourages him to kill himself, his three friends come to visit him. For seven days, they sit in silence with him. That’s what we all need when we are suffering…just someone to be with us. Then they make the worst mistake of all. They open their mouths. From chapter 3 to chapter 37, Job describes his confusion about what God has allowed to happen to him, and Job’s friends respond by saying, essentially, “You deserve this. Now take it like a man.” Then in chapter 38—spoiler alert!—God shows up and brings the story to a close. You’re going to like the ending, but if you’re like most of us, you won’t like those middle 35 chapters. We’re just not used to thinking this deeply about God.

Don’t be deceived. This isn’t a book about why bad things happen to good people. Even when God shows up, He doesn’t address that question. In fact, when God shows up, He’s the one asking the questions. No, this is really a story about faith. Hebrews 11 defines faith as being certain of what we hope for and sure of what we can’t see. In other words, faith is believing in that which we can’t prove. But it’s more than simply intellectual belief. I may believe intellectually that an airplane can take me from here to Dallas in less than an hour, but until I actually get on the plane, I haven’t demonstrated faith. We all have faith of some kind. Even an atheist has faith; every time he gets in his car, he has faith that the internal combustion engine isn’t going to explode and kill him; instead, it’s going to propel him toward his destination. I have faith that my wife truly loves me, and that faith in her love is an important factor in the person I am. I can’t prove her love to you; you might infer that she loves me since she’s chosen to live with me nearly 20 years—which I can assure you is no picnic—but you can believe whatever you want to believe. Job believed certain things about God. He couldn’t prove those things were true. In fact, his three very religious friends believed very different things about God. But in the end, it is Job’s faith that proves true. Job’s faith literally saves his life.

This Sunday, we'll take a good look at what Job's faith--true faith--consists of. Hopefully, you and I will never experience the hardship that Job faced, but we will need true faith throughout our lives to pass the tests of this world. Faith is not like physical height--it's not something you are either born with or born without. It's more like a muscle. God created us with the potential for faith, but we must develop it. Developing a Job-like faith could save your life.

Keys to reading through the Bible

2011-12-31T08:16:00.002-06:00

Many of you are getting ready to read through the entire Bible in 2012. For many, this will be the first time you've ever attempted such a feat. I started reading through the Scriptures every year when I was preparing to become a pastor, and I wanted to share a few tips that may help you:

Keys to reading through the Bible:

1. Set a specific time for reading: When you first get up, at lunch time, in the evening, or whenever your mind is most focused and alert. Give yourself 15 dedicated minutes

2. Set a specific place that where you can be alone.

3. Before you start, pray for God to reveal Himself to you through His Word. That’s what the Holy Spirit does!

4. When you have questions, write them down. Set a time to discuss them with a trusted Christian friend. When you learn something new, write it down. If God speaks and reveals some way He wants you to change, make that your mission until you have accomplished it.

5. If you get a few days behind, catch up slowly by reading an extra chapter a day. If you get a week or more behind, DON’T QUIT! Just start fresh on that day’s passage. Better to miss a week’s reading than to get discouraged and quit reading altogether.

Keep this up for the first month. That’s how long it takes to make a habit.

Sermon preview--Grace in the Fall

2011-12-30T10:16:00.002-06:00

Most of us like stories with happy endings, but it’s the tragic stories that stick with us. I once had a dream I had lost one of my kids. When I realized it was just a dream, I woke up. Yet there was a part of me that desperately wanted to go back into the dream and find my child. I felt like something was undone. I think that’s why sad stories have such a hold on us. We return to them because each time we hear them, we secretly hope they’ll turn out better. We hope that this time, Romeo will realize that Juliet is only in a coma instead of dead, and won’t take his own life. We hope Scarlett will forget about that wishy-washy wimp Ashley Wilkes and love Rhett Butler. We pray for Rose to get on the lifeboat so that there will be room for Jack on that floating door when the Titanic goes down. This Sunday we read the saddest story of them all, found in Genesis 3. It’s not a nightmare or a movie; it’s a true story…the story of us. This is the story of how one small act of rebellion made God’s perfect world the way it is today. We may want to change the outcome of this story. We wish we could go back in time and stop Adam and Eve from eating the forbidden fruit, but we can’t. But fortunately, we serve a God who can make wrong into right, who can redeem the most tragic story of all. In this sermon, I want to show you how, even in the saddest story ever told, we see the love and grace of God.

Sermon preview--Jesus our King

2011-12-20T11:15:00.002-06:00

We live in a world full of people who want to rule. This past week, Kim Jong Il, ruler of North Korea, died. This was a man who lived in opulence in a palatial estate while his people starved to death by the millions. According to his official biography, there was a double rainbow in the sky on the day he was born. He claimed that the first time he played golf, he shot 11 holes in one. He mandated that a song about him be played constantly over loudspeakers in the capital city of Pyongyang. The King God was sending would be much different. His invasion would begin with the pregnancy of an unwed teenaged girl, and a birth in a cattle stall. He would grow up in a town so obscure, it isn’t even mentioned in the Old Testament. He would be a blue-collar worker as a young man, then at the age of 30, would become an unemployed, wandering teacher who was rejected by the mainstream religious authorities. He would never write a book, command an army, own a company, or hold political office. On the day of His death, His own people disowned Him as a traitor. The governing authorities mocked Him by placing a crown of thorns on His head and nailing a sarcastic sign over His cross that said, “King of the Jews.” His closest friends ran away. And He died owning nothing except the clothes on His back, and the soldiers who crucified Him gambled for those clothes at His feet as He died.

Yet of all the people who have ever lived, no one else has influence this world as Jesus Christ did. No one else even comes close. Is He your King? This Christmas morning at 11:00 we will celebrate His birth in a simple service with familiar carols and a short message. We will examine His claim for the throne of your life...and the difference it will make if you will receive Him as King.

Quick Guide to the Radical Experiment

2011-12-20T10:44:00.002-06:00

In 2012, we are challenging members of Westbury Baptist to take five challenges to grow closer to God than ever before. Here's a quick guide to making the Radical Experiment reality in your life...starting January 1.

Challenge #1: Read the Entire Word.

--We will hand out copies of a Chronological Reading Plan. Sunday sermons and devotionals in your Bible Study departments will go along with each week’s reading.

--Each week’s Scriptures will also be in the Sunday bulletins, and there will be a link to the reading plan on our website. Click here for a link to the entire plan.

Challenge #2: Pray for the Entire World.

--We will hand out copies of a yearly prayer calendar from the Operation World website. Each week’s prayer schedule will also be in the Sunday bulletin, and a link to the entire calendar will be on our website. Click here for the link.

--For each nation or region, pray that the Gospel will advance. Pray for Christians and missionaries to boldly represent Christ. If you know of specific issues in that nation or region, lift them up to God in prayer as well. Pray for justice, righteousness, freedom and peace.

--If you want, you can order the Operation World book from the website (www.operationworld.org) or from a Christian bookstore. It contains prayer information on every nation.

Challenge #3: Commit to a Multiplying Community.

--If you are part of our Sunday morning Bible Study (Sunday School) at WBC, commit to be there every Sunday this year, unless you are ill or out of town. Pray daily for your class, your department leaders, and the overall small group ministry of our church.

--If you aren’t yet part of our Bible Study, commit to finding a class this year. The church staff is here to help you find the right group.

Challenge #4: Sacrifice Financially for a Purpose.

--If you don’t currently support God’s work financially, commit to start this year.

--If you give sporadically, commit to giving regularly, as a percentage of your income (the biblical instruction is a tithe, or a tenth, of our income).

--If you currently tithe, ask yourself, “What sacrifices could I make for one year so that I could give more?”

Challenge #5: Spend Time Ministering in Another Context.

--Find a way to serve God outside of your own family and friends. This could be through volunteering at Braes Interfaith, McNamara Elementary, or some other ministry field. Or it could be through a short-term mission trip. We will publish a list of ministry opportunities early in the year, and add to the list as we hear of other opportunities.

Bonus: Read Radical; Taking Back Your Faith From the American Dream, by David Platt.

Sermon preview--Jesus our Priest

2011-12-15T09:53:00.002-06:00

We’re in a series right now for Christmastime called Jesus: Prophet, Priest and King. The idea here is that in order to prepare the way for Christ, God in the Old Testament created three kinds of people: Prophets, priests and kings. Those people existed to help God’s people know God and experience all of His blessings. When the Messiah came, He would fulfill the function of all three. He would be the ultimate prophet, the perfect priest, the King of Kings. An Israelite would have understood that perfectly, but we’ve lost that idea, and so in many ways we’ve lost an understanding of who Jesus is and what He can do for us. Two weeks ago, we talked about the idea of Jesus as our prophet. He is the reason we know who God is and how God wants us to live. To conform our lives to His teachings and His example is the only way to become all we were made to be as human beings. But if Jesus was simply a prophet and nothing more, we are lost. We need more than a teacher, more than an example. We need a priest. Now that may sound strange to you, especially coming from the mouth of a Baptist preacher. But I am not talking about the kind of priesthood you see in many Christian churches. Long before any church existed, there were priests of God.

This Sunday, we'll talk about what priesthood was in Old Testament Israel, and why God created this institution. We'll look at several Scriptures in Hebrews that explain how Jesus is our ultimate High Priest, focusing on Hebrews 10:19-22. And we'll explain why we need Jesus to serve as priest in our lives. If this is a new concept for you, perhaps you are missing something very important that Christ wants to be in your life. If you've heard all this before, come and worship Him for making a way for you and I to get to the Father. Either way, I hope I see you this Sunday.

Christmas Devotional

2011-12-15T09:51:00.001-06:00

I'm posting the notes of the devotional I shared at our Christmas concert on December 11. I hope they help you draw nearer to the God who came for us at Christmas...

The Christmas season of 1979 had an element of intrigue in Lawton, Oklahoma. Police and local media were getting numerous calls from concerned citizens who said there was a dead man in a department store in town. The stories varied in some details, but the consensus was that he had fallen and died in the middle of the Christmas rush, and the oblivious shoppers had unknowingly nudged his boy with their feet under a counter, where he lay abandoned. Every department store was checked, and no body was found. Finally, after some serious investigative work, the police found the source of the story. It was Rev. Forrest Siler, a local Baptist preacher (he would have to be Baptist, wouldn’t he?). Apparently, in a recent sermon, Rev. Siler had told a modern day parable about a man standing in the gift wrapping aisle of a department store with no gift in his hands to wrap. The people pushing toward the counter eventually knocked him over and nudged him under the counter, where he died of neglect. Mysteriously, the dead man was found to have holes in his hands and feet. Apparently, the people of the First Baptist Church of Lawton had heard the story and forgotten it was a parable. As Rev. Siler told a local newspaper, “It was just a parable about Christ being crowded out of Christmas by commercialism. I evidently oversold it a bit.”

We often seem to get Christmas wrong, don’t we? My dad and I were talking recently about this, and he pointed out an ironic fact: We’ve taken Christmas, a holiday that recalls that God came to Earth to save us with no strings attached—the ultimate sign of grace—and turned it into a day when you’d better watch out, you’d better not cry, you’d better not pout, I’m telling you why…and most of all, you’d better be good for goodness sakes; all of which is the OPPOSITE of grace. Why do we do this? At our Christmas concert, the choir sang, O friendless world, to you is the song! All heaven’s joy to you may belong! You who are lonely, laden, forlorn: O fallen, O fearful, O friendless world to you a Savior is born! That’s what Christmas is about. That is what is worth celebrating. But for some reason, we can’t seem to accept the fact that God loves us just the way we are and longs to help us become all He created us to be through the incarnation, death, and resurrection of His Son. If we did accept that fact, more people would become believers in Jesus at Christmastime. We would have to make our worship services two or three hours long to accommodate all the baptisms. I’d wear out a pair of waders once a month. If we did get it, people who call themselves Christians would demonstrate more joy than we do. I’m reminded of the Christian woman who got onto a packed elevator at a mall. A stranger asked, “How are you?” She grumpily replied, “I’d be a lot better if I knew who was going to pay for Christmas this year!” And the stranger said softly, “Someone already has.”

Maybe it’s because we don’t like to think of ourselves as fallen, fearful and friendless. My son, before he really knew how to read, took a nametag one Sunday and wrote, “I am awesome” on it. Only, he spelled it, “I am OSUM.” That’s a pretty good metaphor for us. We want everyone to think we’re awesome. But all our attempts to show ourselves powerful and successful and self-sufficient just make us look more foolish. John 1:14 reminds us that at Christmas, The Word became flesh and dwelt among us. We beheld His glory, glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. If you really want to receive the greatest gift of all, if you really want the amazing generosity of God to become yours at Christmas, you have to willingly rip off that tag that says, “I am awesome.” You have to come before your God in humility, freely confessing your brokenness, your loneliness, your inability to do it yourself, and call on Him for salvation and renewal. Then you will experience the Joy of Christmas.

The Radical Experiment

2011-12-01T11:19:00.000-06:00

In 2012, Westbury Baptist Church is taking THE RADICAL EXPERIMENT

For one year, we will commit to:

1. Read through the Entire Word.

We will read through the Bible chronologically. Each week, an insert in your bulletin will give you the passages to be read for each day. Devotionals written by WBC members will be used in Bible Study classes, and a sermon each Sunday will get us ready for the next week’s readings.

2. Pray for the Entire World.

That same weekly bulletin insert will give you a nation to pray for each day. More information on each country can be found on the Operation World website.

3. Commit Our Lives to Multiplying Community.

In 2012, we will help all of our members find a small group Bible study that will become their spiritual family.

4. Sacrifice Our Money for a Specific Purpose.

For those who don’t give financially, we’re challenging them to start. For those who give occasionally, we’re challenging them to begin giving on a percentage basis. For those who tithe, we’re challenging them to make sacrifices to give over and above 10%.

5. Give Our Time Ministering in Another Context.

We will spend at least 2% of our year (one week) ministering to people outside our normal path—locally, domestically or internationally.

For more information, see www.radicalexperiment.org

Our hope and prayer is that as we seek to know God and serve His Kingdom like never before, we will ourselves be transformed! Pray about taking the Radical Experiment with us. Call the church office or email a staff member to commit to these five challenges for 2012.

Sermon preview--Jesus our Prophet

2011-12-01T11:08:00.001-06:00

I read an article recently about Christmas customs around the world. Here some of the more bizarre ones: In the Ukraine it’s traditional to have a spiderweb as an ornament on your tree. In Germany, a Christmas pickle is supposed to be hidden on the tree, and the kid who finds it gets good luck. In Caracas, Venezuela, churchgoers are supposed to come to Christmas mass on roller skates. In Japan, a traditional Christmas dinner is Kentucky Fried Chicken. In fact, if you celebrate Christmas in Japan, you need to make reservations at KFC because that’s where everyone wants to eat. A couple of the traditions can’t actually be shared from the pulpit. But for my money, the most bizarre custom comes from Austria, where December 6 is Krampus Night. Krampus is Santa’s evil twin whose job is to beat all the children who’ve misbehaved. On December 6th men dress up in some of the scariest devil-like costumes you can imagine and drunkenly run around towns hitting people with sticks and switches.

You might find such traditions hilarious or offensive or somewhere in between, but keep this in mind: The Bible never tells us how to celebrate the birth of Jesus. In fact, the Bible never even says we SHOULD celebrate His birth. Whether you eat turkey or ham or grill steaks and baked potatoes, like a friend of mine does; whether you open presents on Christmas Eve or Christmas morning, whether you watch “It’s A Wonderful Life” or you’re more of a “White Christmas” kind of guy, it’s up to you. I wouldn’t suggest getting drunk, dressing as the Devil and beating people with sticks unless you want to spend Christmas in a lovely cell with a charming gentleman named something like "Switchblade," but otherwise, the external trappings of how you celebrate Christmas are a matter of personal preference, in my opinion. But since the original purpose was to celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior, there should be a distinctly Christian way to observe this day. For centuries, many Christians have called this distinctive way Advent. The idea of Advent is that we celebrate Jesus’ birth by remembering what it was like before He came; feeling along with those long-ago people the anxious expectation of a Messiah, a Deliverer.

Although Jesus’ birth and life are in the New Testament, celebrating Advent means thinking from an Old Testament perspective. So what I’ve decided to do for my Advent series of sermons is to think about what Jesus came to be for us. In the Old Testament, God gave the people prophets, priests and kings to help them know Him, stay right with Him, and live the life He wanted for them. Those offices were fulfilled in Jesus. So this Sunday, we’ll talk about what it means for Jesus to be our prophet. On the 18^th, we’ll see how Jesus is our priest. And on Christmas morning, we’ll examine what it means for Jesus to be our King. Christmas traditions are typically superficial things. But my goal and prayer is that this Christmas season, we would come to know Jesus in a new, more intimate and transforming way than ever before.

Sermon preview--The Dishonest Manager

2011-11-16T13:12:00.002-06:00

This week, we'll be looking at a story Jesus told that is so weird, so seemingly out of character for Him, you might think--if you're reading it for the first time--that some cynic has pasted it into your Bible when you weren't looking. In the story (found in Luke 16:1-9), Jesus seems to hold up a crook as an example for Christians to follow (?). Then He seems to say that people who know how to work the system in this world are smarter than righteous folks (??). Then He tops it off by saying--literally--"use your filthy money to make friends for yourself so they'll help you out when you need it later" (???).

Have you ever heard someone you knew well say something completely unexpected and out of character? The sweet older woman who seemingly never had an unkind thought put her finger in your face and told you in no uncertain terms what would happen if you ever treated her that way again. Or the friend who was constantly joking around suddenly broke down in tears describing his heartache over his rebellious teenage son. When such things happen, we pay attention. We remember what they said. It has an impact on us, precisely because it was so unexpected. I think that's what Jesus is up to in this parable. But with that said, what was He trying to teach us through this unusual parable?

This is the last of our yearlong study on the parables of Jesus. The following Sunday is the beginning of Advent, believe it or not. You might find it an odd choice for me to end this long study with such a strange story. But I think you'll find if you hear the sermon that this story sums up the entirety of Jesus' message quite neatly. I hope you will be with us Sunday.

We Are...Penn St.

2011-11-10T10:43:00.003-06:00

Even if you're not a football fan, you've probably heard the news about Penn St football. A beloved former assistant coach, Jerry Sandusky, will face trial on 40 counts of sexual abuse of young boys. The legendary head coach, Joe Paterno, was fired Wednesday, along with the University president, for not reporting Sandusky's actions to the authorities. Two more school administrators face criminal charges for lying to cover up these crimes. Another assistant coach, Mike McQueary, is under heavy public criticism because he witnessed one of the incidents, but simply told his head coach, and did not go to the authorities either. As of this writing, he is still employed by Penn St, and is expected to coach in their game this Saturday against Nebraska.

There are many more details that I will not share here, because I frankly wish I did not know them myself. The irony of all of this is that Penn St has long been seen as a bastion of all that is right with college sports. With their trim navy-and-white uniforms and helmets with no logos, they look like a team from the 1950s, not the flashy, video-game obsessed modern day. And Paterno, with his bryll-cream hairdo, thick black glasses, and nasally Brooklyn accent, always seemed like a throw-back to an earlier time as well. There's a reason for that: He started at Penn St. as a player in 1950, then served as an assistant coach before becoming head coach in 1966. Now 84, he has always been seen as a coach who did it the right way. His players graduated at a high rate. There were no stories of boosters paying recruits, no reports of Penn St players being arrested. And, of course, he won. A lot. This season, on a snowy day in October, he won his 409th game, making him number one in wins for a division I head coach. I suppose the university was capitalizing on this timing when they rolled out their new advertising campaign for the fall. All universities advertise themselves during their own football games, but Penn St this season has been running ads during nearly every televised game on every network. In the ads, a series of attractive young people are shown studying, accomplishing great things, while in the background, we hear the chant often heard at Nittany Lion football games: "WE ARE...PENN STATE!"

And now these stories come out. Now we are treated to the sight of Penn State students rioting in protest over their coach's firing, and countless articles written by journalists who once fawned over Paterno and Penn St, now seething with righteous indignation; now we witness a former Penn St player, Matt Millen, a tough, imposing man, break down on live television trying to explain how this could have happened at the program he loves.

We debate the issues among ourselves in personal conversations and on the internet: Was Paterno culpable? Did he deserve to be fired? I don't know the answer to those questions, although I have my opinions. Here is what I do know: A sexual predator was allowed free reign at a public university. He used his position in the athletic department and his charity to at-risk boys to enable him to continue his awful crimes. He was caught on at least two occasions. But never was he arrested until last week, 12 years after his retirement. He was allowed continual access to the Penn St athletic facilities--the incident witnessed by McQueary took place three years after Sandusky's retirement. And as far as we know, nothing was ever done to help the victims in this case. So for Paterno and everyone else in this sad affair, it's a matter of the sin of omission. It wasn't what they did, it's what they didn't do. Just one person of action--an assistant coach, a president, an athletic director, the head coach himself--could have stopped this long ago, but no one did. Paterno himself seemed to understand this yesterday, as he told reporters, "It is one of the great sorrows of my life. With the benefit of hindsight, I wish I had done more."

I wonder how many of us will feel that way at the end of our lives? This Sunday, we will be exploring the Parable of the Sheep and the Goats, found in Matthew 25:31-45. According to that parable, a great many people who live otherwise morally upright lives will face their own sins of omission on the Day of Judgment. It is a powerful reminder that God expects His people not to simply be religious and abstain from a few vices, but to be proactive, compassionate agents of His love. How often do we fail? How often do we fly right by the least of God's children because we are focused on other things? How often do we see pain and tragedy, but choose to do nothing? Jesus doesn't want us to be surprised at the Day of our Judgment. He wants us to be ready. This Sunday, we will talk about what we need to know.

There are so many lessons to be learned from the Penn State scandal. For me, the biggest one is this: The sin of omission is all around us. It is a part of our lifestyle, and we must deal with it. We must rouse ourselves from our self-centeredness and self-righteousness. We must stop confusing pity for compassion and charity for action. We must pray for God's eyes to see the least around us. Because right now, we all are culpable. We are Penn State.

Sermon preview--The Talents and the Minas

2011-11-04T10:31:00.002-05:00

Not many Americans know the name William Wilberforce, but he changed the world in ways that still affect our lives today. Wilberforce was a British politician during the era when our own nation was being born. Wilberforce was elected to parliament at the age most of us are still living with our parents. He was independently wealthy, was a dazzling speaker, and was friends with all the right people. He could easily have been Prime Minister. But when he was 24, he gave his life to Jesus Christ. He became convinced that God put him on the earth for a purpose, what he called his “one great object,” the abolition of slavery. He gave his life to this cause, fighting for decades. That made Wilberforce a very unpopular person among some very powerful people. Terrible things were written about him in the press. His life was constantly in danger. And year after year, his proposals to abolish slavery were voted down. Late in his life, he succeeded in banning the sale of slaves, but it didn’t really help those who were already in slavery. Finally, just days before his own death, Wilberforce heard the good news: Parliament had voted for the emancipation of the slaves. You may think to yourself, “I wish I knew why God place me on this Earth.” I think that you can.

In fact, I think that you and I MUST know why God has us here on this Earth, and we must devote ourselves to that purpose. Jesus told two very similar parables: The parable of the talents (Mt. 25:14-30) and the parable of the minas (Luke 19:11-27) to let us know that life is a precious gift, far too brief...and that one day we all will have to give an account to our Creator for the way we spent that gift. How can we know what God will expect of us on that Day? What do need to do in order to be ready? That's what we will talk about this Sunday.

Stuff on my prayer list this week

2011-10-31T09:42:00.002-05:00

Here are some things on the top of my prayer list--along with others too personal to mention, of course. If the Lord leads to you join me in praying for some of these, I'd appreciate it.

1. Our church's Fall Carnival tonight (Oct. 31, 6-8). That God would bring lots of unchurched people, that everyone would be safe and have a great time, and that during and after the Carnival, He would use that good time to draw them to Himself and to our church.

2. My opportunity to speak to the Fellowship of Christian Athletes at University of Houston this Wednesday at 8 PM. Several football players are being baptized, and UH Chaplain Mikado Hinson has asked me to speak on the purpose and meaning of baptism. I am always refreshed and inspired in the presence of these young men and women. Pray that I would be God's instrument.

3. The all-church prayer meeting at WBC this coming Sunday at 5. We'll be preparing our hearts for 2012, and specifically the Radical Experiment. Click here for more details.

4. That the Holy Spirit would fill my children, Kayleigh and Will, with a hunger to know Him better and a yearning to fulfill His purpose for them in the world.

5. That God would provide a buyer for our house.

6. That I would live this day--and every day--in hope of Christ's return, living each day in a way that positively impacts eternity.

Sermon preview--The Ten Virgins

2011-10-27T10:21:00.002-05:00

I know this is an unusual title for this message, but that’s what the parable we’re studying today (Matthew 25:1-13) is commonly called. Perhaps a better title would be, “How to have hope.” Hope is one of the key concepts of the New Testament; it’s a trait all Christians should have. But not many of us seem to have hope these days. What is hope? It’s not the kind of desperate wishing that we often think of when we hear the word. It’s not, “I hope my team wins tomorrow,” or “I hope my teenager isn’t getting into trouble.” It is a confident expectation of something you know will be yours someday, but you just don’t possess it yet.

The metaphor Jesus used to describe hope was usually a wedding. Isn’t it interesting that a man who never married saw a wedding as the ultimate picture of hope? I think about my own wedding when I read parables like this. Carrie and I got engaged a full year and a half before we would be able to get married. I know a long engagement isn’t ideal, but I was very intentional about that. I saw the way guys on our campus and at Carrie’s church looked at her. I wanted a rock on her finger (or in my case, a pebble, unfortunately) so that I could let everyone know she was mine. That was indeed a long year and a half, but I wouldn’t do it differently if I could. It gave me something to look forward to, something to keep my hopes up. I knew that even if my car broke down, or I didn’t get the job I applied for, or I got an annoying roommate (and all of those things happened over that year and a half) that none of that could change the fact that I was going to marry her in May of 1992. My theme song then was the old Beach Boys’ tune: Wouldn’t It Be Nice.

Wouldn’t it be nice if we were older, and we didn’t have to wait so long?

Wouldn’t it be nice to live together in the kind of world where we belong?

You know it’s gonna make it that much better, when we can say goodnight and stay together. Oh wouldn’t it be nice?

Jesus wants us to live in that kind of hope. He wants us to have something the world can’t take away from us. That kind of hope will help us to live holier, more meaningful lives, because we know that every day, we have a chance to impact eternity for good. So our lives aren’t just about surviving the work week and waiting for the weekend, or paying our bills; our lives are about doing something that lasts forever to the glory of God. And that kind of hope leads to joy that our circumstances can’t erase. Because even if our dreams in this life fall apart, even if loved ones die—and they will—even if our bodies disintegrate—and they will—the world can’t take away this hope of being with our Lord in a perfect place forever. So even things like sickness and aging and sorrow, things that the rest of the world has no answer for, are just reminders that a better world is coming, that we will live in perfect bodies someday in the presence of the one who makes all things new. That hope is why early Christians were willing to die rather than forsake Christ. It’s why they were willing to stay in plague-ravaged cities, taking care of the sick, both Christian and pagan, when everyone else had abandoned the city. It’s why those early Christians lived such distinctively loving and holy and joyful lives, because while everyone else was focused on the here and now, they lived in hope of something far better.

So how do we live in that kind of hope? How can we keep our eyes on a future that we’ve never seen? Jesus spoke at length about His return in chapter 24. Then He capped it off with a series of parables, including this one. This Sunday, we'll explore the parable, and see what it takes to live in hope. I "hope" you'll be there!

Sermon preview--The Rich Man and Lazarus

2011-10-20T09:19:00.003-05:00

It will soon be Halloween, so there are horror movies, old and new, on TV. I remember how much I used to enjoy scary stories when I was a kid. I was a voracious reader, and sometimes I would check out books about Bigfoot, ghosts or UFOs. Later that night, as I struggled to fall asleep, flinching at the slightest sound, I would wish I had read Tom Sawyer instead. As a teenager, I remember one Halloween night when my best friend and I rented an armful of terrifying movies (including The Texas Chainsaw Massacre) and stayed up most of the night watching them.

At this point in my life, slasher films and spook stories don't have the same appeal they once did. Real life is scary enough. But sometimes, it is good to be frightened. Even though the most prevalent command in the entire Bible is "Fear not" or some variation thereof, sometimes fear is a useful emotion, reaching us in ways that more gentle approaches cannot. I'm not saying that watching the latest Hollywood gorefest is good for our spiritual lives (quite the opposite, I suspect). But in His Word, God often uses horrifying images to motivate us to change. In other words, we can be literally scared straight.

This Sunday, we will look at the scariest story Jesus ever told. It's found in Luke 16:19-31, and I think because of its central message, it's more terrifying now than ever before. How will it change your life?

What is a preacher to do?

2011-10-06T09:25:00.003-05:00

So what does a preacher do on the weeks he isn't scheduled to preach? This weekend is our annual Faith in Action Day, and this year, we're putting a new twist on the event. Instead of cancelling church and Bible Study to do ministry in our community, we'll be ministering on Saturday and celebrating on Sunday. So in place of my message, our church will hear stories from all fifteen of the groups who will taking the love of Christ outside our walls. It will be a great, great day in God's house.

So with no sermon to prepare, how did I spend my time? Frankly, you might feel like Rhett Butler on the subject, but I'll tell you anyway. As some of you already know, in 2012 we will challenge all Westbury members to take the Radical Experiment. You can find out more by clicking on this link. One of the five challenges will be reading through the entire Bible in a year. My plan is to preach a message each week based on one of the passages our church will be reading that week. So I spent a good bit of time preparing next year's sermon calendar. It's a big task, and I'm only halfway done. But it is also one of the most exciting things I do all year. I can't wait to preach these messages!

So pray for me as I keep on planning, knowing of course that all plans are only as good as God allows them to be. He has the final say-so.

Sermon preview--The Good Samaritan

2011-09-29T10:06:00.002-05:00

On September 1, 1983, a Russian Air Force pilot named Major Osipovich volunteered for night duty, patrolling the skies over the eastern region of the Soviet Union. He did this because he had been asked to give a speech about world peace at his children’s school, and he needed some time off. That night, as Osipovich flew his lonely night patrol, he spotted an unidentified aircraft in Soviet airspace. After asking his superiors what to do, Osipovich followed standard procedure. He fired on the aircraft, shooting it down. Osipovich didn’t know it at the time, but he had just shot down a commercial airliner, Korean Airlines flight 007. No one knows why the plane strayed into Soviet airspace, nor why the Major had such a quick trigger finger. What is indisputable is that 240 innocent civilians died that night, including several American passengers. Some of you remember that time. It wasn’t quite like the Cuban Missile Crisis, but it was a very tense moment in world events. It felt very much like the Cold War was about to get hot. Ironically, a man who was getting ready to talk about peace almost started World War III.

Talk is cheap. Actions speak louder than words. We all know those cliches, but how many of us back up our profession in Christ with Christ-like actions? We wear our WWJD bracelets, put a fish on the back of our cars, and call ourselves by the name “Christian,” a word that literally means “little Christ.” But how many of us really want to be like Him? Sure, we want Him to bless us. We want to spend eternity with Him. But do we really want to live like He lived? The Parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37) shows us what it really means to live like Jesus. This Sunday, we'll explore this great story that is still just as revolutionary today as it was 2000 years ago. Do you really want to be a Christian? Find out what that means this Sunday.

Sermon preview--Counterfeit Salvation

2011-09-22T09:20:00.003-05:00

Last week, we talked about how Jesus wasn't the bland nice guy that so many of us picture when we think of Him. He was bold, provocative, and didn't let political correctness stand in the way of speaking the truth. This week, as we continue our study of the parables of Jesus, we're reminded of another interesting characteristic of His teaching: Sometimes He said things that absolutely baffled His listeners. That's certainly the case with the Parable of the Eight Spirits in Matthew 12:43-45. The only time I've ever heard a sermon on this parable was when I preached it myself, more than ten years ago. I showed up to the service and a church member approached me. He had seen the text in the bulletin and had read it ahead of time--a practice I heartily endorse. He said, "How in the heck are you going to make a sermon out of that? What does that even mean?" He looked at me like I had some sort of homiletical death wish; that I was convinced I would preach successfully on an impossible text or die trying.

But it's not impossible. Jesus wasn't being deliberately vague or intentionally enigmatic when He told this story. His point was inflammatory and inspiring back then, and it is just as much so today. This Sunday, we'll take a close look at this parable. We'll examine its context and drill down into the meaning. Then we'll see how it applies to us corporately (as a church body), interpersonally (in our relationships with others), and personally--in our daily decisions and priorities. The parable may be mysterious, but the message is too important for us to miss. I hope you can be there.

Sermon preview--God's Favorite People

2011-09-15T08:36:00.002-05:00

Writer Virginia Stem Owens once taught a class at Texas A&M in which she challenged the students to study the Gospel account of Jesus’ life. If you know anything about A&M, you would expect most students there to be very familiar with Jesus’ story. But while most of the students knew some basic Bible stories, very few had ever really studied the man. During a class discussion, Owens asked the students if anything about Jesus surprised them. One student made a comment that everyone else rallied around: “He wasn’t very nice.” They had a picture of Jesus as being rather quiet and gentle, even boring, but definitely a nice guy. But this guy they read about was downright rude at times. He said provocative, uncomfortable things. You could imagine if you were one of His followers that sometimes you’d be a little embarrassed when He infuriated the kind of powerful people you wanted to impress, or humiliated when He called you on some sinful attitude. Have you ever had a friend who always told you the truth, even when it wasn’t what you wanted to hear? When you get a bad report from your cardiologist, instead of just saying, “I’ll pray for you,” like Christian friends are supposed to do, he says, “Sounds like it’s time to stop having bacon cheeseburgers and sour cream enchiladas every day for lunch.” When you’re mad that your wife won’t let you go on a hunting trip this weekend, he’s supposed to say, “Women. They just don’t get it.” But instead, he says, “Well, you have been gone pretty much every weekend lately. How are you supposed to build a family if you’re never home?” Don’t you hate that guy? But he’s a true friend. That’s Jesus. This Sunday, He’s going to say some things in this message that will make most of us feel uncomfortable, stuff we wish He would keep to Himself.

We'll be looking at the parable of the banquet, found in Luke 14:15-24. Jesus challenges us to pay special attention to His favorite people...the people He pays special attention to (because no one else will). It helps if you read vv. 1-14, just to get the context. I look forward to seeing you all Sunday.

Worship on September 11

2011-09-08T13:39:00.003-05:00

This Sunday in our worship service, we will observe the tenth anniversary of the September 11 attacks. As worship leaders, we've put a great deal of prayer and discussion into what this service needs to accomplish. We will sing some great songs of our nation, but it won't be a July 4-style service. We will pray for our nation, leaders and troops, but we won't talk about how the war should be fought, or what our nation's leaders should do next. It will be, first and foremost, a service of worship for our Almighty God, as every worship service in our sanctuary should be. Primarily, the focus will be on the way God wants us--His people--to live in days surrounded by so much fear.

Did you know where the term terrorism comes from? It’s actually a French word. It comes from the time of the French Revolution, when the Jacobins instituted their “Reign of Terror” over the nation. They took the term from a Latin word, terrere, which means “to frighten.” A terrorist uses fear as a weapon to bring down a nation or an army that he could never beat in a fair fight. So terrorism doesn’t have to kill all of its enemies in order to win, it just needs to intimidate them into giving up. In many ways, Satan is the first terrorist. He uses fear to enslave us, to turn us away from the one who can save us forever. We don't have to worship him in order to be defeated; we just have to miss the plan God has for us.

Jesus once said an unusual thing: I tell you, my friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body and after that can do no more. But I will show you whom you should fear: Fear him who, after the killing of the body, has power to throw you into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him. (Luke 12:4-5) He could say that because He knew He would someday destroy the one who held the power of death itself, the one who enslaved all of mankind. That truth is found in our text for Sunday, Hebrews 2:14-15. I'll be preaching a message entitled, "The Day Fear Died." How did Jesus set us free from all fear? What does that mean for the way we should live? Come find out this Sunday.

Sermon preview--Why Do Some People Never Fully Commit?

2011-09-01T10:35:00.004-05:00

A couple of weeks ago my son, Will, had a loose tooth right in front. It had become so very loose it was practically pointing outward. All he needed was black eyes and a banjo and he’d look like the kid from “Deliverance.” So one day, Carrie talked him into doing the “tie your tooth to a string that’s tied to the door” trick. It had worked before. So she had Will all rigged up, the door was open and ready to be slammed, and then he got cold feet. I can remember when I was losing my baby teeth, and it’s a scary thing. Your parents can tell you that it’s not going to hurt, but it’s not their tooth tied to a door, is it? So we’re both standing over Will, urging him to let Carrie shut the door, and he keeps saying, “Not yet.” Finally, he says, “Can we pray about this first?” As he says it, he jerks his head back…and out pops the tooth. Next time you see Will, ask him to show you his new grin.

In the Parable of the Sower (Matt 13:1-23), Jesus talked about people who, like Will, have a problem with commitment. They are represented by the thorny soil. The thorny soil represents people who have the best of intentions to follow Jesus, but they never fully commit. For instance, imagine a teenager who starts attending the youth group, perhaps because a friend invited him, or his parents brought him, or he thinks the girls are cute. He goes away to youth camp, hears a message from the speaker that really challenges him, and makes a decision for Christ. He comes home and gets baptized. But nothing really changes in his life. He comes to youth events and church services, and he truly believes everything his pastor and youth minister teach, but he’s still sleeping with his girlfriend, still giving his parents headaches, still feels worthless and empty inside. Or picture a woman who was raised in church, saved as a small child. She’s faithful in her church attendance, and her Christianity is her identity. It informs how she votes, who she associates with, how she believes on ethical and moral issues. She gives an offering and says her daily prayers. But she’s one of the most joyless, judgmental, downright unpleasant people you’ll ever meet. Then picture a man who was moderately religious as a child, but who married a very devout woman. Now he attends church each week, but mostly just to keep peace at home. He has all the right beliefs, and everyone who knows him would say he’s a heck of a guy, but he can barely make it through that one weekly church service without falling asleep. Spiritual issues just have no interest for him.

The question most of us immediately jump to is, “Are these people really saved?” That’s not the issue in this parable. The issue is fruitfulness. People who profess faith in Jesus but don't fully commit themselves to Him never bear fruit. Why does this happen? What keeps many of us from falling short of full commitment? And what can we do when we find ourselves in this position? We'll talk about these things and more this Sunday.

Sermon preview--Why Do Some People Never Fully Commit?

2011-09-01T10:35:00.000-05:00