Straight Talk About Real Spritual Growth

On this Easter morning, at churches all over the world, pastors are standing, and saying those three words, and the congregation is responding with the same four words – “He Is Risen Indeed!” That interchange has been part of church history and liturgy for centuries.

But there is so much meaning in those words that I want us to spend these few moments we have together pondering them. Do we in deed understand the implications of the risen Christ? Do we fully appreciate what it means that He has risen from the dead, defeated sin, death and the grave – and, most importantly, called us to live a life in deed that reflects His own resurrected life? Sadly, I believe that most Christians in the America today do not grasp even a fraction of what this truth means for us on a practical day today basis, and if there is ever going to be any hope of reaching the world, of rescuing our Nation, then the church simply must grasp and apply this reality.

The resurrected life of Christ is not something that we hold on to merely for salvation on day when we die, though that it a wonderful thing – every bit as important is the fact that His resurrected life it is supposed to affect the way we live until we die!

Christianity, which celebrates it’s most critical belief today, is a call to a lifestyle – it is not a belief system. It is not a religion – it is not a moral code – it is not living by the Golden Rule and being a nice guy. Christianity is a call to live a life that reflects the values, standards and attitudes of Christ Himself. That is a radical call. It is a summons that demands sacrifice, courage, determination and commitment.

Today we continue our series entitled, “Straight Talk About Real Life.” We have had some great talks about a lot of real-life issues - change, relationships, finances, forgiveness, sex, depression, and others. Today, I believe, is the most important of them all. Today we are going to engage in some Straight Talk About Spiritual Growth.

Americans today are more interested in Spiritual matters than at any time in the last 100 years. There is an overwhelming sense that there is something more to life than the here and now – a transcendent reality that gives purpose and meaning to our lives. That sense draws many to séances, transcendental experiences, spirit guides and new age philosophies – all with an unquenchable desire to fill the void. It is evidenced by the amazing consumer focus on the subject. Go to your local Borders, or Waldenbooks, and notice how large the section on “spirituality” is. It is not coincidental that the two best-selling books last year were spiritual in nature. In non-fiction it was “The Purpose Driven Life,” in fiction, “The DaVinci Code.” But even with this focus on the spiritual, to many people, Christianity has had its day – familiarity with the beliefs of Christianity has led to contempt in many minds and hearts. Many, while engaged in this relentless search for spirituality, go weekly to church out of a sense of tradition or habit, not expecting and not finding that which they seek.

There are lots of people who come to church – twice a year, occasionally, or even frequently – who know the facts of Easter. If you asked them, many of them would know that Jesus died for the sins of the world. But the reality of that belief has done little; if anything to affect the lives they live. Folks, coming to church is not Spiritual Growth – no more than riding in an airplane makes you a pilot!

Ladies and Gentleman, I am not calling us today to believe the facts of Easter – though we must believe them. I am not calling us to faith in the resurrected Christ – though without faith it is impossible to please God. I am calling us today to allow those facts and that faith to make a difference in the way we “live and breathe and have our being.” Real Spiritual Growth is not measured by our attendance record at church, it is not measured by our ability to locate verses in the Bible, it is measured by our ability to recite great oratorical prayers, nor is it measured by our giving receipt at the end of the year. Real Spiritual Growth is measured by the resurrected life of Christ being evidenced in our real life situations through out the years.

Today we close out one series and begin another. We draw to an end the series of “Straight Answers about Real Life,” and begin a series entitled, “Have You Got What it Takes to be God’s Man?” These two overlapping themes happen to hit on Easter Sunday. For weeks this message has weighed on my mind. I believe it to be perhaps one of the most important I have shared with you in the ten years we have been together. Today, on this Easter Sunday, in the shadow of the Cross and the light of the open tomb, I want to issue a straight forward call to real spiritual growth and leadership from the men of this church, this community and this nation!

Turn with me if you will in your Bibles to Hebrews, chapter 12. If you don’t have a Bible with you, please pick up one on the seats around you and turn to Hebrews chapter 12 – and if you don’t have a Bible, please take that Bible you just picked up with you at the end of the service – (unless you just picked up the Bible of the person next to you!)

Hebrews 12 follows a chapter in the Bible that is called the “Hall of Faith” – a chapter where the writer outlines the great people of faith from the History of God’s people, and he begins this chapter with these words.

¹Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. ²Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. ³Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.

   ⁴In your struggle against sin, you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood. ⁵And you have forgotten that word of encouragement that addresses you as sons: “My son, do not make light of the Lord's discipline,
      and do not lose heart when he rebukes you, ⁶because the Lord disciplines those he loves,
      and he punishes everyone he accepts as a son.”

⁷Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as sons. For what son is not disciplined by his father? ⁸If you are not disciplined (and everyone undergoes discipline), then you are illegitimate children and not true sons. ⁹Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of our spirits and live! ¹⁰Our fathers disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, that we may share in his holiness. ¹¹No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.

Do you see the Easter Story in that passage? It’s right here in verse 2, “who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” The story of Easter is a story of incredible sacrifice, endurance and strength – it is a story of a man’s man. Braveheart, Gladiator, and Saving Private Ryan have nothing on this story. Check this out:

[The Passion of the Christ[ii]: Scene of Jesus in the Garden – praying for deliverance – until he crushes the serpent’s head]

No soldier in battle, no athlete in competition, no hero in an epic tale has ever been called upon to endure so much as Jesus did when He went to the cross. In that Garden, He pleaded with His Father to take away that cup of suffering. Listen to this thought from James Kennedy:[iii]

Have you ever thought about what was in that cup that caused Jesus' sweat to become 'like great drops of blood' (Luke 22:44)? If you don't know what Christ saw in that cup, you are missing what Easter is all about.

Inside that cup was nothing less than the sin of the world distilled into a vile brew of all that is evil, unclean, unfit, and impure. Every bit of anger or malice or hatred, every act of lust or fornication, every theft or covetousness is all right there in that cup. Even more, Jesus knew He was about to drink from that cup and take upon Himself all of your sin and mine. It was an awful prospect, so He cried out, 'Father, if there be any other way!' …But there was no other way. So He drank that cup…that vile and wretched cup…for you and for me.

Verse 2 of our text tells us that “for the joy set before Him,” He endured the cross, He drank that cup. What was that joy? What prize awaited Him on the other side of that sacrifice that could have possibly made it worth all he endured?

It was you. He endured the cross for you. Easter is not about bunnies and eggs. It is not about new spring clothes and bright colored tulips. Easter is about God loving you so much that He was willing to send His own Son through HELL so that you can go to HEAVEN. It is a story of unmatched courage, sacrifice, obedience and love.

This passage from Hebrews gives us much more than an encapsulated account of Easter’s story, however. Much more importantly, these words give us a sense of Easter’s Significance. What impact does this have on us? What does it all mean?

Obviously, there is an amazing amount of significance in the reality of Easter. This week we have seen the drama of Terry Schiavo played out before us. This poor woman, whose life has been deemed “worthless” by the courts is dying a cruel death of starvation and dehydration. Imagine President Bush not just ordering her life to be saved, but giving his own life for hers. His life, as the most powerful man on earth, for this one who is in the minds of many, “worthless.” Imagine that, and you get some small sense of what Christ did for you and for me.

There was even more significance for Jesus, however. He endured the cross, scorned it’s shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. The authority of Jesus was forever established by His amazing act of obedience and endurance.

You might be thinking, “Well, of course! His authority was in place before the cross, too – He is the Son of God!” Well, let me shake you up a bit this morning. You think you know the story of Easter pretty well, I would wager. But let me put this thought in the kettle of your mind – let is simmer there for a bit.

I submit to you that it was possible for Jesus to have failed in His mission. I believe that in the process of God becoming flesh, there had to be within that veil of humanity that He took on the possibility of failure. This same book of Hebrews tells us that Jesus was tempted in every way that we are, yet was without sin. Without the possibility of failure, there is not temptation. Satan is a powerful and cunning adversary – we would all agree – Why would he waste his time trying to get Jesus to bow down and worship Him if it was not in some way possible that he could have won? He wouldn’t have! Why was Jesus so overcome by sorrow, even to the point of death, in the Garden – why did He ask his friends to pray for Him? Because it was such a difficult burden to bear! How could the writer of Hebrews tell us in verse 3 of our text to “Consider Him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart,” if the playing field were not level?

If there was no possibility for failure, then looking to Jesus as our example would be meaningless – it would be like Bill Gates coming in and saying to you, “Yeah, I know where you’re at. I lost a $20.00 bill once too! Follow my example of how I dealt with it!” Twenty buck means nothing to a man with $28.95 Billion in Microsoft stock. Jesus would not be an example for us if He could not have failed.

But because it was a possibility, because He did have to endure the cross, and it’s shame, and face every temptation that we have to face – the significance of Easter becomes all the more amazing! “Because of the joy set before Him”- that’s you and me – He was able to endure all that the forces of evil could unleash against Him. He did it because He kept His eye on the prize. He was consumed with doing the will of the Father, and because the risk was so great, and the price so high, the glory is unparalleled – He was seated where He belongs – at the right hand of the throne of God. He is the Lord of Lords and the King of Kings! He is the Alpha and the Omega! The Easter Significance is not only our salvation, but the great victory of our King over sin, and death! As great as His birth was, when angels came and filled the sky with singing – His victory was even greater, as he strode up to his rightful place, and those angels bowed in wonder at His great love and power! Hallelujah!

In addition to the Easter Story, and the Easter Significance, there is, in these verses, an Easter Summons. Wrapped up in this passage is a trumpet call to the people of God that cannot be ignored on this Easter morning – it is a call that we each must answer. It is a call to battle that is filled with words of conflict and struggle – do you see them?

Verse 1 speaks of “everything that hinders” and “the sin that entangles.” That is just the first hint at the battle that we will face. John 1:12 says, “to those who believed in His name, he gave the right to become children of God.” Along with that right comes awesome responsibility and conflict. Like a person trying to walk against a raging river, the Christian is called to walk against the tide of popular culture – to strip ourselves of the “seemingly insignificant sins” that hinder us from our calling, and the sin that trips us up.

Verse 4 is even more graphic. It reads, “In your struggle against sin, you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood.” Isn’t that word “yet” interesting? Wow. IT seems to imply that there may be bruising, and bloodshed in this battle. Jesus shed blood in the garden, not because of a physical blow, but because of the internal struggle that raged between His flesh, and His desire to do God’s will. Have we sweat those great drops of blood in our struggle to live for Him? It is a STRUGGLE – and we are called to RESIST. Words of conflict – words that speak of a clash of cultures.

Verse 7 says, “Endure hardship as a discipline, God is treating you as sons. For what son is not disciplined by his father?” Anyone who believes that following Jesus is easy is simply ignoring the truth of the Word of God. Jesus said, “In this world you will have troubles…” He called us to take up our cross and follow Him. We are called over and over to endure, persevere, press on, stand firm, struggle and fight. The call to Resurrection living is not a call to ease – it is a call to battle!

Look at verse 12. “Therefore, strengthen your feeble arms and weak knees.” I don’t know of any generation in Church history for whom those words are more applicable than ours. Twenty-first century American Christianity is overrun by feeble-armed and weak-kneed believers whose most difficult spiritual battle is deciding to go to church on Sunday or stay home and watch the NASCAR race!

On this Easter morning, 2005, with all that is within me, I am issuing a call to the men and women who hear my voice young and old alike, to a new and deeper level of commitment to Christ. A call to endurance as a discipline – a call to struggle against sin – a call to strengthen our feeble arms and weak knees. Verse 11 reminds us that No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.

This type of training does not happen in one service, no matter how long it might be. It demands extensive training and great commitment. Next week we begin a new series, entitled, “Have you got what it takes to be God’s man?” And while our focus is going to be on calling men specifically, the challenge is equally placed before us all. I pray that you will have the courage to show up, and answer the Easter Summons.

Straight Talk About Real Spiritual Growth