God’s Standard for Humanity

Steve Bowyer

Words & Works of Jesus • Sermon • Submitted 2 months ago • Presented 3 months ago

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God’s Standard is Not Me

2 weeks ago Monday, I had a biopsy. You know the results, all good news. Couldn’t have been better.

Included in that, the doctor told me no strenuous activity for a week.

I couldn’t ride my Peloton. Okay.

I couldn’t shovel any snow. Not bad, but it didn’t snow any more.

I couldn’t carry or stack firewood. That’s an issue.

Of course I asked him if he’d come out and tell my wife I couldn’t do it for a month. You know, just take a break for a while. He wouldn’t. So I’m back doing the work again.

Anyway, while I was unable, Sara gladly did the work. She didn’t complain at all. I had the quarter-cord rack filled before my procedure. She just had to bring it in, stack it in the cubbies under our hearth, and build and stoke the fire. She was a girl scout. She knows how. She’s good at it. No issues.

But, where there was an issue, in my mind at least, was how she did it.

See, I’m more of an anal, type A personality. 1, 2, 3. A, B, C. In order. One thing at a time. Organized.

Sara is more of a creative, type B. It’s part of what makes her such a good cook. She doesn’t need a recipe. She knows what works, how things taste, how much of one ingredient she needs versus how much of another. But, she may not add them in order. But, it always works out.

You see her work and serve around here. Women’s BS, VBS director, she is very creative. But, she’ll drive us type A’s crazy b/c she doesn’t follow the plan and probably won’t do things the same way twice. About the time you think you know what to expect, she’ll change things up.

So, as you can imagine, I have a system to our firewood. A way I do things.

My big stack is down by the garage. We have oak and juniper. The oak is stacked next to the house. The juniper is stacked outside the oak.

When I bring it up, I stack the oak on the right side of the rack and the juniper on the left. When I bring it in, the juniper goes in the left cubby and the oak in the right. The kindling goes in the far right cubby.

And, I mix it in equal amounts when I start and stoke the fire. The juniper starts faster b/c of the shaggy bark and splintered wood. The oak starts later but burns longer.

That’s the way I do it.

Sara was bringing wood in, in all sorts of different ways. One time she’d only bring in oak. Stack the oak in both cubbies. I’m thinking, what are you doing? That’s not the right way to do it. Next time, only juniper. And, she wouldn’t fill the cubbies. A couple of sticks here and a couple of sticks there.

And when she needed more kindling, she just brought enough for a couple of days. I fill that cubby w/ more than a week’s worth of wood.

Come on! Do it right! But, that was just in my mind. I kept my mouth shut. 40 years of marriage has helped me bite my tongue more often than I used to.

Really, what’s the bottom line? A fire in the fireplace warming the house. Who cares what kind of wood, how much, and how it’s stacked underneath! If the fire is burning hot and house is warming up, then what does it matter how it’s done!

But, if I let my pride get the best of me, I’d be critiquing her every step of the way. And how would that work out? A stick of wood stuck somewhere in one of my bodily orifices where it would do no good for the fire but it might improve my marriage by humbling me a bit.

That’s what pride does. There is my way, then there’s the wrong way. Any way except my way is unacceptable.

We all do it. We’ve all got at least that one thing that has to be done our way.

Sara’s mom, among other things, it was the dishwasher. She’d cook. We’d clean. We’d load the dishwasher. Later that night, she’d go back into the kitchen and unload every glass, dish, pot, and pan and reload them before she started it.

What’s the bottom line? The dishes get clean. Who cares where the glasses or dishes are placed inside?

She did.

Everybody struggles w/ this at least a little bit.

And, what it comes down to is, on a basic, natural, fleshly, carnal level; each of us believes, “I am God’s standard for humanity. When you realize that and do everything the way I want it done, you’ll be right w/ God, too.”

Churches, Christians do it, too. If another church up in Flagstaff or down the street is doing well. It’s growing and good things are going on inside it and around it, then we are quick to criticize it b/c that church doesn’t do things the way we do them. They don’t do it right.

You know, they speak in tongues over there. Pure emotion.

Or, they only pray in liturgies. Or, they’re Catholic. Seriously.

They have a rock band. A drum kit! Instruments w/ cords. Or, they only sing hymns.

Their choir wears robes and their preacher wears a suit. Or, our preacher only wears jeans.

In the OT, the 1st 5 books have a lot of history, but also have a lot of the law, rules, rites, rituals, and how they should worship God.

In the NT, where is the passage that explains how churches are supposed to worship?

What’s the bottom line for churches and Xians?

More ppl coming to faith in Jesus to be saved and growing in their faith to live more faithfully. Who cares how it’s done if this what’s going on in that church? Certain things must be going on, but the style in which they do them can vary a great deal.

Our pride gets the best of us when we think we do it better than everybody else. Nobody else does it right like we do. B/C, we are God’s standard for church.

We are not God’s standard for humanity. No one has to do things only the way we do them.

Who is the standard? Jesus.

In humility, stop demanding everyone do everything the way you want it done, and do what Jesus wants done, the way He wants it done; and everything will go better for everyone.

This is growth, maturity. This is where we are in Jesus’ ministry to His disciples. He has moved on from how to be saved to how to live as saved ppl in a lost world. Always remember, Jesus is the standard that we are working to live up to. Not me, not you, not us.

The passages this is taught are Matthew 18, Mark 9, and Luke 9. We will be in the Mark passage today.

We will start in Mark 9 where the disciples complained to Jesus that there was another guy doing what they couldn’t do so they stopped him b/c He wasn’t doing it right.

He’s Not Doing it Right

Mark 9:38–41 NIV

“Teacher,” said John, “we saw someone driving out demons in your name and we told him to stop, because he was not one of us.” “Do not stop him,” Jesus said. “For no one who does a miracle in my name can in the next moment say anything bad about me, for whoever is not against us is for us. Truly I tell you, anyone who gives you a cup of water in my name because you belong to the Messiah will certainly not lose their reward.

This was John speaking. He was the youngest disciple, probably a teenager at the time.

He matured to the point where he could write part of our bible. He wrote a gospel, 3 epistles, and Revelation. Pretty mature and wise by that time. But, at this point, he, like the other discs, let his pride get the best of him.

There was another guy, not one of them, who was casting out demons in Jesus’ name, successfully, and they stopped him.

Remember, just a short time earlier, when Jesus and the 3 discs came down from the transfiguration, the other 9 were unsuccessful in their attempt to cast a demon out of a boy.

Not only was that other guy not one of the 12, he was successful where they had failed.

Later, the discs asked why they had failed. Jesus told them that the only way to succeed in casting out demons is to do thru prayer and by depending wholly and completely on Jesus to do it thru them even if He is not there personally. Their words, their hands, their presence; but Jesus doing the work thru them.

That’s what that guy was doing right that they were doing wrong.

Miracles, like casting demons out is a big deal. Anyone who can do that is doing a great thing. But, Jesus told them, not just big deals, but little deals like giving a thirsty person a drink of water is of value and helps accomplish His bottom line. Do not stop ppl from doing things like this b/c they are w/ us in helping us accomplish our bottom line, leading ppl closer to Jesus.

Back up a little bit, just before this in Mark they were arguing about which one of them was the greatest disc who would hold the highest position in the kingdom.

Peter: I walked on water.

John: I have the closest relationship w/ Jesus.

Judas: I handle the money!f

In Jesus’ answer, He indicated that they were asking the wrong question. They should have been less concerned about who was already qualified to hold the highest position in the kingdom, and more concerned about how to best serve God.

Be less about how to get a greater reward, and more about how to be a better servant of God.

Jesus’s answer to all this was, if you want to be the first in the kingdom, then you need to be the last on earth. Be the most humble servant of all. Take the role of a child. If you want to be great in the kingdom, then be the best servant you can be here.

Only those who submit their will to Jesus on earth will be exalted in heaven.

In c.1, children had no rights. Even today, young children are completely dependent on their parents for everything.

Back then, children were 1 step above a slave. They were treated as such. Little thought was given to what the children wanted. Dad did not ask a child what he wanted for supper what he wanted to do. Dad, and mom, told children and they were expected to obey and perform or be disciplined.

So, as Xians, like children, we have no rights before God. We are completely dependent on our Heavenly Father for everything. He will not ask us what we want to do. He will tell us what He wants us to do.

Now, as a loving, gracious, and sacrificial God, He knows what we want to do. Just like Jesus told Peter to go fishing to catch the fish that had the coin in its mouth (last week), Jesus will tell us to do things we want to do more often than not.

There are exceptions, however. More on these later.

But, as Xians, we have no rights. We have no right to expect God to do for us what we want Him to do. But, we humble accept what God does for us b/c it will be what’s best for us and more often than not really what we want, our bottom line.

We may think we want to be rich so we can not have to worry about food, clothes, or housing. But, if God provides food, clothing, and housing for us; He has provided our bottom line and has done what’s best for us instead of giving us the resources to make these choices. We likely will not choose what’s best.

So, this guy who was successfully casting out demons had to have been a man of faith and completely dependent on Jesus to work thru Him if the demons were actually leaving the ppl. He was doing it right.

So discs, jealous much? Check your pride. It will only get you in more trouble. They could not cast the demon out of the boy b/c their pride got in the way. They tried on their own, in their own name, w/ their own strength and failed.

A humble person is not concerned about their position, rewards, authority, power, wealth, nor recognition but it concerned about serving Jesus and attracting ppl to Him.

The discs failed Jesus again when they stopped this other guy from succeeding in doing it the right way, the way Jesus wanted it done, the only way it would work.

This other guy was acting like Jesus wanted the discs to act, like a child. He was dependent on Jesus like children are their parents. So next when Jesus talks about causing one of these little ones to stumble, He’s talking Xians who are doing the things the way He wants them done.

Do what Jesus wants you to do, the way He wants it done. To not do it that way, and to encourage others not to do it that way, is a problem. Don’t do that.

So, cut it out or cut it off.

Cut it Out

Mark 9:42–48 NIV

“If anyone causes one of these little ones—those who believe in me—to stumble, it would be better for them if a large millstone were hung around their neck and they were thrown into the sea. If your hand causes you to stumble, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life maimed than with two hands to go into hell, where the fire never goes out. And if your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life crippled than to have two feet and be thrown into hell. And if your eye causes you to stumble, pluck it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into hell, where “ ‘the worms that eat them do not die, and the fire is not quenched.’

Literally, Jesus is not teaching that we should cut our limbs off or poke out our eyes. But, we should take our sins, the things we do wrong that cause us and others to stumble, seriously.

You don’t have to cut it off, but you do need to cut it out! A person w/ no legs, arms, feet, arms and eyes can still cause themselves an others to stumble.

Radical changes may be called for. Changes that others don’t need to make b/c they don’t stumble in those areas.

But we must do whatever we must do to remove the offensive behavior.

The discs offended the other guy by making him stop. And, they offended Jesus in the same way.

He was considered a “Little one” by Jesus b/c he was doing it right. The discs should have known better than to stop him.

By stopping him all they were doing was preventing him from attracting ppl to Jesus and turning other ppl off b/c of the conflict between the believers.

We do that when we are critical of other Xians and other churches. It only pushes ppl away from Jesus. There is enough conflict in everyone’s life already. We need more peace. Jesus gives peace that the world does understand.

But, when we conflict w/ others, we are attempting to force ppl to be at peace by doing things our way.

B/C, I am God’s standard for humanity. If you’ll just do things the way I want them done, we’ll get along just fine, peacefully.

But that’s not the peace Jesus gives.

We won’t bring peace to the church and Xians by criticizing ea other.

For instance,

There is criticism about the “He Gets Us” campaign and their Super Bowl ads. They spend over $100M. What if 100M ppl are now closer to Jesus as a result? They had a record number of ppl download their app that helps them pray better.

I don’t think there were 100M ppl, but how many would it take for everyone to be okay w/ what they spent?

Like church building programs. PPL complain about a church spending $5M on a building when they could be feeding the hungry.

What if that $5M draws 1M ppl into the church in a year. After 5 years, the ratio is $1/per person, and as result, millions more are given to missions, both local and foreign. More OCC shoeboxes, more meals served, more Jews hearing about the truth that Jesus is their Messiah.

Let’s let every Xian decide for themselves what God is calling them to do. Don’t criticize. You do what Jesus is calling you to do that attracts more ppl to Him.

The Chosen. Many Xians are growing as a result of watching the show. Some Xians are critical of the programs.

In order to produce a show that makes sense, story lines must be developed that go beyond the bible. So, the argument is the Chosen is heretical for not adhering to the bible.

The Chosen never claimed to be what these critics are claiming they did.

The Chosen as a show is a series of video sermons. They are as inerrant, w/out error, as every sermon I preach. I read the bible. Preach from the bible. The bible is inerrant. The stories and illustrations I give are not. But they help all of us understand the bible better and grow closer to Jesus.

Hell is an ugly and painful place. Let’s do all we can to prevent more ppl from ending up there. Whatever attracts ppl to Jesus, do that.

Jesus then said, we all need to be saltier. B/C salt makes us more attractive, among others things.

Be More Attractive

Mark 9:49–50 NIV

Everyone will be salted with fire. “Salt is good, but if it loses its saltiness, how can you make it salty again? Have salt among yourselves, and be at peace with each other.”

Salt did 3 things in the c.1, still does.

It preserves, purifies, and improves the taste of food.

It preserves things, makes them last.

It purifies things, removes impurities and cleans them up.

And, it makes things taste good. Makes us want to eat them.

The way Jesus would have used this illustration it does not apply in every area to everyone and it can still be exactly what He wanted to communicate.

Everyone will be preserved. Believers will live forever in heaven. Those that go to hell b/c they never came to faith will exist forever there. They are preserved, too. Hell is not annihilation. It is eternal existence apart from God.

Everyone will be purified.

Our pool in Little Rock had a salt system that treated the water w/ chlorine. We poured bags of water softener salt into the pool and the computer separated the chlorine out and purified the water.

Salt is also a corrosive. It is abrasive. It ate thru all the metal and plastic parts of the pump. We went thru several pumps in just a few years.

Salt, as Jesus uses it here, purifies ppl from their sin. Except, He has already purified believers. Therefore, we are not corroded by the abrasive nature of the cleansing. Those who have not been purified by Jesus will be irritated by the purification process.

And, salt makes us more attractive. That is, we attract ppl to Jesus when we allow the salt to do its thing to us. We are more attractive, less repulsive, and those around us who see the peace, joy, patience, self-control, courage, strength, etc. want more of it for themselves. And we have the opportunity to introduce them to the One who provides such things.

When we are less concerned about being attractive in our physical appearance, and more concerned about being attractive in our spiritual appearance, then we will be less likely to attract ppl to us and more likely to attract ppl to Jesus.

That’s the bottom line.

That’s our mission. The way we say it here at MPCC is, We exist to lead those close to us closer to Christ. That’s our mission statement.

Our 4 core values are: Maturity, Identity, Humility, and Community.

These are the 4 lanes of our spiritual journey that we must be making progress in all of them.

This passage, Jesus is teaching the discs what maturity looks like. Humility is a key characteristic that leads ppl back to Jesus. Humbly, accept the reality that we need Jesus. He does not need us. He chooses to use us and work thru us to accomplish what He wants.

That’s why our priority must be what He wants us to do the way He wants us to do it, now our way.

We are not God’s standard for humanity. Jesus is. We work to live up to His example and lead others to do the same.

That’s what we are attempting to do here in Munds Park. We work hard to do this b/c Jesus instructed to do it and showed us how.

Depend entirely on Him to work thru us, work hard to be better servants of His and much less concerned w/ our rewards.

We will be rewarded. But the focus is on the work. Doing the right things, the right way. The rewards will take care of themselves.

Applications

Celebrate

Celebrate other Christians and other churches successes. Don’t be critical. If they are accomplishing Jesus’ bottom line, then it doesn’t matter what else they do or how the do it.

Compliment them. Rejoice in the success. Show your friends that all of us Xians and churches are on the same team.

Be More Attractive

I don’t mean you need a new hair cut or go on a diet. I mean be more spiritually attractive. Demonstrate more patience, peace, kindness, self-control, strength, courage. Show the ppl around you what a closer walk w/ Jesus does for your practically.

Then, you will attract them to Jesus, not you.

Questions

What are you asking Jesus for? More money? Better health? Better marriage? More rewards?

These are not wrong to ask for. But make sure you are more concerned, asking more questions, seeking more advice about how you can be a better servant of God.

What does God want you to be doing more of and how does He want you to be doing it?

You’ll get rewarded for it. But make your focus, and subject of your questions of God what you can be doing better and how you can be doing it better to serve Him better.

How you stack your fire wood, how you load your dishwasher can be done is some very creative ways. The bottom line is, your fire should be warming your house and you dishes should be clean.

If you want any of us to come over and visit then your house needs to be warm and your glasses can’t have anyone else’s lip marks on them. We don’t want last week’s lunch on the dish.

Our pride gets the best of us when we think we do it better than everybody else. Nobody else does it right like we do. B/C, we are God’s standard for church.

We are not God’s standard for humanity. No one has to do things only the way we do them.

Who is the standard? Jesus.

In humility, stop demanding everyone do everything the way you want it done, and do what Jesus wants done, the way He wants it done; and everything will go better for everyone.

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