Walking Light

It’s great to have one more chance to worship with you before we leave our “Base Camp” and head back into enemy territory to face the world. Before we leave this place, I want to give you a resource that you can use when you get back home to do some further study and training on your own. It’s a book entitled, You, The Warrior Leader by Bobby Welch. Welch is a man’s man – Green Beret, Special Forces, Jungle Warfare Specialist, Army Ranger – and he’s God’s man – President of the Southern Baptist Conference. Men, this book will kick you in the butt! Get a copy – read it and be motivated by it’s call to action!

I hope that for some of you these have been days of R& R - refreshing and renewal – rest and recharging. I trust that they have also been days of reinforcement, of training and preparing and strategizing for the battle ahead. The truth is, when we get back, possibly even while driving back, we are going to find ourselves back in the battle.

Over the course of the last couple of years I have been repeatedly prompted by the Lord to challenge the men of the church to step up and become the Leaders He has created us to be. Perhaps the greatest victory Satan has won in the last 100 years has been the emasculation of men. Drive with me down to the inner city of Milwaukee, and spend a few hours there with my friend Pastor Lamar Davis, and you will see the results of men neglecting and abandoning their position as leader in their family, church and community. The resulting chaos is enough to turn your stomach. Women are used, abused and devalued. Children are abandoned to the street and desperately long for a male role to follow. They usually find it in a gang, or look up to a drug dealer. Murder, rape, drug abuse, alcoholism, poverty, disease and death flourish in an atmosphere of anger, bitterness, and chaos.

Did you know that the highest percentage of black unwed mothers in the nation is found in Wisconsin (82 percent). It is little wonder that Milwaukee continues to find its way to the headlines nationally with one act of brutality after another. As we begin this morning I want to share with you two observations that were made after one of the most recent in that string of abhorrent acts. The first is from a letter sent to the Milwaukee Journal:

Would that human nature were as simple as good people facing off against bad people in a video-game reality. But evil doesn't pop up out of nowhere like a two-dimensional monster. Evil takes root in the hearts of those who are filled with despair, pain and anger and who yearn for a sense of self-worth and power over their lives. Until the practical, psychological and spiritual needs of the inner city are better addressed, evil such as we've seen of late will continue to flourish, sowing more seeds of despair.

Kids need role models, decent schools and hope. Parents need decent jobs so they can provide for their kids and psychological and spiritual help when they are so wounded that they can't be the kind of parents their kids need.[i]

After the latest act of depravity from Milwaukee’s crime-infested central city - the gang rape and sexual assault of an 11-year old girl by 15 boys and men - the usual political and media suspects engaged in their predictable hand-wringing. The police chief blamed society, the mayor blamed lack of hope and the Milwaukee daily newspaper, as usual, blamed poverty and lack of jobs.

The problem is that the facts never seem to coincide with the excuses. The most recent case was telling. The 40-year-old man in whose home the assault of the pre-teen girl took place, and who has been charged with participating in the attack, says he came home from his job as a butcher, had some cocaine, drank a bunch of beer and then joined the other men in the brutalization.

He was working as a butcher. That’s usually a pretty good job and one that requires a skill set and training. He also had enough money to buy his coke and beer. So much for poverty. The victim, like the attackers, is black. So racism can’t be blamed. Nonetheless, the excuse-makers are unfazed. They’ll continue to prattle about jobs, poverty and racism every time a bunch of central city sociopaths engages in the senseless abuse of another human being.[ii]

So if it wasn’t poverty or racism or joblessness – what was the cause of that brutal act?

It is the same thing that is the root behind so much of the deterioration of our society – a man who did not know how to behave like a man. A man who would not come to the rescue of an 11-year-old girl who was being assaulted in his home – no, no – he JOINED the assault! A man who was so focused on his own cravings, base desires and self indulgence that he lost all sense of right and wrong, moral and immoral behavior. Is it any wonder that our cities, and our small towns as well – are in such disarray? Without a moral compass from strong leaders, a culture is doomed to destruction.

And don’t feel comforted by your distance from the city – this same devastation and rot are just as present in small rural farming communities as in the inner city – the only difference is the concentration of the toxins. The little town of Mishicot, Wisconsin, just outside of Sheboygan, saw a similar shocking event when Steven Avery kidnapped, raped and murdered a young woman – and invited his 16 year old nephew to join in!

Now, why would I start off a message entitled “Walking Lite” with such a dark and weighty matter? Because I believe that the level of decay, destruction and chaos that we see with our physical eyes in our cities and across our nation is just a small glimpse of the rubble and devastation that lies unseen on spiritual landscape of our culture today.

Families are in disarray – wives and children long for strong, godly husbands and fathers. Our churches are littered with the rubble resulting from the neglect and abandonment by men of character and leadership. As a result our cities, school districts, state, nation and the entire world are suffering from what I call “Spiritual Deadbeat Dads.”

It is into that mess that Christ sends you and I. As John Piper said yesterday, the worlds of Jesus to Saul of Tarsus are our mission today, “I am sending you to open their eyes.”

What does that look like? I want to give you two examples this morning – one is visual – from a film. The second is from the inspired Word of God.

"World Trade Center" a film based on the events of September 11, 2001. It is actually several stories folded into one. It tells of the bravery of five Port Authority Police officers, two of whom are trapped far beneath the rubble of the towers. It is also the story of a single ex-Marine who, after watching the carnage on television, goes to church to ask God what he should do. He emerges believing God wants him to go to Ground Zero.

That man, Dave Karnes, went to a local barber, got his hair cut “high and tight,” put on his old Marine uniform, called off at his job, and drove to Manhattan. When he arrived, after dark, the police and firemen of New York were being told it was too dangerous to go in and were being stopped by their supervisors. Karnes did not answer to any of them, however, and managed to slip through the police lines. Eventually, he hooked up with another Marine vet who had likewise come to help. The two made their way through the carnage looking for survivors. Two men walking alone in the midst of the collapsed towers, looking for trapped victims:

[Clip from World Trade Center – Single Marine going into the rubble to search for survivors]

In the midst of the rubble of our societal decay, amid the ruin of spiritual collapse in our culture, God has called one man to rescue the lost and ensnared. In the darkness of our culture that seems so intense that it is almost suffocating, God has singled out a sole individual to hold out a light of hope. Despite people telling them to stop – “It’s too dangerous! It’s hopeless! You can’t do anything!” – that single individual has been called by God, and he is compelled to act.

Who is that person? Who is that man who has been commissioned by God to accomplish the monumental mission of rescuing trapped victims of spiritual destruction?

My son, Andrew, is a Midshipman in the United States Navy ROTC program at UW Madison. A year from now, (hopefully!) he will receive his commission as an officer in the US Navy. A representative of the United States Government will stand before him, he will raise his right hand, and he will take a solemn oath to “support and defend the Constitution of the United States from all enemies, foreign and domestic.” He will be required to fulfill the requirements of that commission – to obey orders, to accomplish his mission, and to be willing, if necessary, to “bleed on the flag to keep it’s stripes red.” That is what a commission into the service is all about – it is a privilege and a responsibility.

Have you ever equated the concept of a “commission” in the military to the “Great Commission” in the Bible? When you responded to the prompting of the Holy Spirit, and invited Jesus Christ to be your Savior, you agreed to make Him your Lord, your King, and your Commander in Chief. With that enthroning of Jesus in your life, you received your commission – your Great Commission to “Go and make disciples.” We talked about that last night – it is out of His Authority and Power that our commission flows – our orders to “Go!”

We are commissioned to be walking lights in this world – walking through the destruction and rubble of our world, holding out the light of truth. Jesus, in his greatest public sermon, found in Matthew chapter 5, said these words to his followers,

You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on a stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven. (14-16)

You and I, men, are called and commissioned to be “Walking Light.” We are to be that lone individual, that solitary man who will stand against the tide, ignore the nay-sayers, square our shoulders, fix our gaze firmly on our commander, and be that light to the world that Jesus has called us to be. To open the blind eyes – “to do,” as Piper said, “only that which God can do…”

Let me give you a powerful example of what that looks like, an example that doesn’t come from Hollywood, but from the pages of your Bible. In His handbook for life, God has given us a wide variety of literary forms: History, poetry, narratives and lectures, epic stores of the past and fantastic visions of the future. Intermingled in those literary forms there are some remarkably personal accounts. One of those is the book of Nehemiah.

In Nehemiah, we have the opportunity to look into the journal of a man of God who fulfilled his role as “walking light.” I encourage you to read Nehemiah’s journal sometime in the next couple of weeks – but be careful! I have been captivated by this book and the lessons for leadership that it contains for about three years now! Let me share with you, in very quick fashion, some of the observations that stand out most to me.

First, in chapter one, we learn that Nehemiah was an ordinary guy. He was a butler – a foodservice worker – you can’t get much more “regular” than that! Yet this ordinary guy received his commission to be walking light with passion and commitment – and did extraordinary things for God.

Nehemiah heard that the people of God were living in chaos. The walls of defense had been broken down – they were vulnerable to attack and were at the mercy of the surrounding enemy. Such news broke his heart. In verse four of the first chapter we read, “When I heard these things, I sat down and wept. For some days I mourned and fasted and prayed before the God of heaven.”

Many of us can relate – we hear accounts of the destruction and decay in our culture and in the church and we mourn over it – we pray about it – and that’s good – but it’s only a good start – we must follow our prayers by action!

Nehemiah talked to God about the situation, and he took bold steps to do something about it. Nehemiah was the king’s butler – it was his job to bring the king his wine. And when Nehemiah appeared before the king, it was obvious that he was troubled. The king inquired about Nehemiah’s sadness - partially because it was illegal to appear before the king in any manner other than joy at his presence! When the king asked, Nehemiah quickly prayed, and then boldly asked for the king’s permission to go and do something about the decay of his nation. Nehemiah is quick to point out, in chapter 2 verse 8 that “because God’s hand was upon him,” the king granted him permission, safety and safe passage to do the work.

So Nehemiah headed for Jerusalem – the city of God, and he found it in utter disrepair. He, too, arrived after dark, and went out in the night to inspect the rubble. He had never been to Jerusalem before as far as we know. His family had been carried off to Persia 60 years earlier, while some of the Hebrew people had been left behind. The ones left behind were the ones who were not considered “worth the effort” of taking back to Babylon. They were the poor, the ignorant and the uncultured. They were left in the land without leaders, without direction, and without security. They had known nothing but devastation, victimization and vulnerability. They were rejected, broken and hopeless. They had looked out over a landscape of decay and destruction their entire lives, and saw nothing but the same in their future.

But one man came, walked amidst that rubble, and said, “You see the trouble we are in: Jerusalem lies in ruins, and its gates have been burned with fire. Come let us rebuild the wall of Jerusalem, and we will no longer be in disgrace.” In verse 2:18, the people of the city responded, “Let us start rebuilding.” With those words, Nehemiah tells us, “They began this good work.” With Nehemiah’s boldness, his faith in God, and his testimony of God’s provision, he was able to lead that group of defeated, rejected people to one of the great accomplishments in the history of their nation.

The next verse (2:19) starts with one of the most important words in all of Scripture – my congregation knows that I just love this word – it’s the word “but.” That word indicates that there is a contrasting point of view. In this case, it means that there was opposition to the good work they had begun. The surrounding enemies had no intention of allowing the people of God to get their house in order. They were going to challenge them every step of the way. Over the course of this diary, we read that they brought legal challenges, tried to seed discourse among the people, and threatened attack and death.

Such threats took a toll on a people who had lived in defeat and oppression their entire lives. In chapter 4 verses 6-10 we read that at about the half way point, the people began to lose heart – their strength gave out, and they began to look at the rubble and the enemy more than the opportunities and the Lord’s promise.

Once again, the man of God is seen walking amidst the rubble. He called the people together, gave strategic instructions for the defense of the city and said these amazing words: follow along from verse 14 – 23:

“Don’t be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome, and fight for your brothers, you sons and your daughters, your wives and your homes!”

From that day forward, the men worked in shifts – half rebuilding, half doing guard duty. The people carrying materials did so with one hand and had their sword in the other hand. Nehemiah and his leadership team did not take a break – the didn’t even change clothes and they kept their weapons with them even when they went to the bathroom!

Nehemiah faced physical and emotional opposition from outside enemies; sin and greed from within the ranks of the people of God, and a seemingly endless trail of attack – but through it all Nehemiah remained a man of constant prayer, dependence upon God and focused determination.

So the wall was completed on the twenty-fifth of Elul, in fifty-two days. When all our enemies heard about this, all the surrounding nations were afraid and lost their self-confidence, because they realized that this work had been done with the help of our God.

They finished rebuilding the walls in 52 days! It was such an amazing accomplishment that the surrounding enemies KNEW that God had been a part of it! When was the last time the church accomplished something so breathtakingly amazing and astounding that the world was amazed at what God had done? When was the last time the church dared to trust God for something so amazing that when it was accomplished the world would stand back and say, “God had to do it, because it is impossible for man to have done it?”

That’s the legacy of Nehemiah – and it is the call of each one of us. We are called to be men who will see the destruction and decay of our culture, and our churches, and be stirred to weeping and mourning and fasting. We are called to be men who will move beyond those prayers to action – to be “walking light” in our world – refusing to be swept along with the current of godlessness – resisting the efforts of our enemy – boldly holding out the light of Jesus Christ in the oppressive darkness. We are called to be aware of our enemy – aware of his deceptions and his cunning as Nehemiah was – cognizant of his unrelenting efforts to defeat us and discourage us. We are called to be found with a “brick in one hand and a sword in the other!” Rebuilding the foundations of faith and family, defending the truth! We are called to “remember the Lord, great and awesome, and fight for our brothers, our sons and our daughter, our wives and our homes!”

Will you join that fight? Are you fed up with the destruction and decay around you – in your church, your family and your nation? Will you be moved, with God’s help, to be part of the solution? Will you be the “walking light” Jesus described - providing light to everyone in your home, your community, your church? Will you live up to the commission you received when you took on the name of “Christian?”

If so, men, then, in the words of Peter, “Prepare you minds for battle.” I kid you not, you are in for the conflict of your lifetime. The enemy is not going to give up an inch of territory without a struggle. Over this weekend we’ve talked about “running light,” “fighting light” and “living light.” If we are going to make a Kingdom difference, rebuilding the walls amidst the rubble of our society, proclaiming truth in the midst of the lies of the enemy - we are going to have to become lean, skilled, dedicated warriors for Christ. We have to be walking light – reflecting the light of Christ.

How do we do that? We accept the commission that is ours from Jesus – the one Piper described yesterday – “I am sending you to open their eyes.” You and I have been called by God to be the instruments by which He reaches the lost. How do we do that?

Each of the people listed in the “Hall of fame of faith in Hebrews 11 had great faith – but that faith was accompanied by action – that’s how they got in the record book of scripture! Their faith alone was not enough – it was followed through on by action!

We’ve all heard that “without faith it is impossible to please God” but do you know what kind of faith it is that pleases God – it’s faith that is the source of action. Look at James 1:27 and Isaiah 58:6-8 and you will see that God is NOT AT ALL impressed by faith without works.

You may not know it all – but you know enough. You may not be an evangelist – Nehemiah was a butler! David was a shepherd! You may not be an evangelist, but you have a commission into the service of the Living God and your orders are to be taking the light of the Gospel into a collapsed world and searching for and rescuing trapped victims! Obey your orders!

In the long history of the world, only a few generations have been granted the role of defending freedom in its hour of maximum danger. I do not shrink from this responsibility—I welcome it. I do not believe that any of us would exchange places with any other people or any other generation. The energy, the faith, the devotion which we bring to this endeavor will light our country and all who serve it—and the glow from that fire can truly light the world. And so, my fellow Americans: ask not what your country can do for you—ask what you can do for your country.

Men, in the two-thousand year history of the Christian church, I don’t know if we’ve ever faced the kind of challenge we face today. Certainly it’s never been like this in the history of this Nation. The question for us today, as we head back into our homes, our churches and our communities is this – will se shrink from our responsibility or will we welcome it?

You already know what to do – you don’t need another Bible study or retreat or pep talk – you just need to take what you have – the light of Jesus, into the world.

Let’s pray. Father, when Nehemiah faced challenges from within and without, he came to you and prayed a desperate prayer, “Now strengthen my hands.” Lord God, we see the destruction of sin all around us. We are living in the rubble of chaos and neglect that has resulted from a sinful abandonment of our responsibilities as men. Father, strengthen our hands! Place within us the heart of a Holy Warrior – willing to face the enemy, willing to pay the price, willing to fight for our brothers, our sons, our daughters our wives and our homes.

[i] SUNDAY SYMPOSIUM; Yes, Milwaukee has a crime problem . . . now. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Sept. 17, 2006

[ii] Mark Belling, quoted on tommcmahon.net “The Latest Act Of Depravity From Milwaukee’s Crime-Infested Central City” 09/15/2006