Going Through the Motions
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I’m a sports fan. I like to watch football and baseball. I’ve also enjoyed going to some high school basketball games and a few volleyball games this year. It’s fun to see a really good game. One that is back and forth….where the lead goes back and forth…is just fun to watch.
As a St. Louis Cardinals fan, I grew up watching a style of baseball known as “Whiteyball” in the 80’s. A man named Whitey Herzog was the manager of the Cardinals in the 80’s…and his philosophy was to have a bunch of players that could get on base, steal bases, hit for high average, and field their positions really well. They had ONE guy that could hit a lot of home runs – Jack Clark, whom hit 35 home runs in 1987.
1. Do you look for ways to share your faith?
2. When WAS the last time you shared your faith?
Eventually….the players got old…..a few seasons later….they started to play not so well. I remember watching them and it seemed like they had lost some of their fire. They just didn’t play as HARD as they seemed to in previous years.
Eventually, I remember the fateful press conference where Whitey announced he was stepping down as manager. I was devastated. I remember him saying he couldn’t motivate the players anymore…that they wouldn’t play for him. They had lost their fire and their love for the game.
3. The best way to learn about your faith is to tell someone else about it!
4. That would be an excellent discipling program—to learn how to share your faith
OK…..you may say “Cool story, preacher……what does that have to do with CHURCH?”
ii. Would you know how to do so? What would you say if someone were to ask you why they should become a Christian?
Faith… can be a lot like sports…..sometimes a person might feel like they’re just going through the motions….and are not actively engaged in their faith. It can be said of this person that their faith is not authentic…it isn’t real. What God is interested in is REAL faith – where your whole heart is engaged and in the game.
1. The summation of the Gospel is that we are sinners….and Christ paid the penalty for our sin – so that we don’t have to
I’ve got 3 points to make from this passage, and I’ve got 3 challenges to give:
2. Example:
a. Law/Grace presentation
I. Authentic faith knows that motivation matters
I. Authentic faith knows that motivation matters
I. Authentic faith knows that motivation matters
a. Paul stayed many days longer in Corinth
i. “after this” – remember the events of 17:1-17?
1. They were dragged into court by Sosthenes
2. The case was thrown out of court and they were set free
ii. Remember that? Sosthenes was the ruler of the synagogue….and it appears that he came to Christ after things didn’t go well for him.
b. Paul stayed in Corinth for some time after that and then left for Syria
i. He took Priscilla and Aquila
ii. Before he left…does something curious: he cut his hair in Cenchrae
1. Why did he cut his hair?
2. Was this just for appearances? To LOOK good before other men?
3. The text says he had made a vow
a. What kind of vow? We don’t REALLY know…but we can make a guess.
b. It MIGHT have been a Nazirite vow
i. Not to be confused with “Nazarene”…..
ii. This type of vow was often taken as a way of thanking God….
1. Maybe because they recovered from an illness
2. Or the birth of a child
iii. MAYBE….Paul took a Nazirite vow:
1. This originally came from
a. – 2 slides
And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to the people of Israel and say to them, When either a man or a woman makes a special vow, the vow of a Nazirite, to separate himself to the Lord, he shall separate himself from wine and strong drink. He shall drink no vinegar made from wine or strong drink and shall not drink any juice of grapes or eat grapes, fresh or dried. All the days of his separation he shall eat nothing that is produced by the grapevine, not even the seeds or the skins.
“All the days of his vow of separation, no razor shall touch his head. Until the time is completed for which he separates himself to the Lord, he shall be holy. He shall let the locks of hair of his head grow long.
“All the days that he separates himself to the Lord he shall not go near a dead body.
b. It then goes on to explain how to purify himself if defiled, or at the end of the vow
2. One could take this vow, and he would not cut his hair
3. No wine or fermented drink – not even grape juice, vinegar, or fresh or dried grapes
i. He was a Nazirite from birth –
b. Some people just took it for a time – maybe a few months….maybe a few years
3. No wine or fermented drink – not even grape juice, vinegar, or fresh or dried grapes
4. Can’t be near a dead person
5. After the vow, they would take the hair and present it at the temple in Jerusalem as an offering
c. Now……Is this something that Christians should do on a regular basis?
i. There’s nothing wrong with deciding to honor God
1. The Nazirite vow was something an OT Jew would do
ii. How about a MODERN day equivalent…….?
1. Suppose I were to issue a challenge to you:
a. There are 4 Sundays between NOW and the start of our VBS
i. Vacation Bible School starts on July 9.
ii. So….5 weeks from tomorrow……
iii. That’s 4 more weeks after today….
b. If you were to come to church EVERY Sunday between now and then…..
i. Can you do that?
ii. God wants us to be in fellowship with each other
iii. Imagine if you saw your spouse sporadically….
iv. How close will you be?
v. We are a FAMILY – WE should strive to be TOGETHER!
vi. Maybe this is something you could do to honor God.
2. Or maybe…..you’d consider challenging yourself to being here every Sunday the rest of the year, barring extreme circumstances…..
a. There are only 29 more Sundays this year….
b. Imagine if you were here for 90% of them…..meaning you’d miss maybe 3 times….
c. Would that glorify God if you made that commitment….maybe even putting God over other things?
iii. This isn’t just to make yourself look good…..we can certainly make a hasty vow
1. Sometimes…we tend to make a vow out of less than honorable reasons
2. How many times do you see on tv someone saying “God if you JUST get me through this….I’ll do THIS thing….”
3. That’s not what this is about….it’s about CHOOSING to honor God with our time and our lives.
iv. Another Illustration:
1. Lent….no meat….
a. I can see the GOOD behind the idea…
b. If you want to fast? Great – that’s a good thing to devote yourself to God.
c. Not a BAD idea—but Lent became something OTHER THAN just fasting from meat
d. Illustration: Debbie – sandwich at 11:30
2. Now…to many that practice this abstention during Lent…. They’re doing it with pure hearts….
a.
3. Others? For me? It was a case of simply going through the motions…. (elaborate…checking boxes….doing my time…)
a. Know what Jesus would say about a showy, bragadocious religion?
i. – 2 slides
“Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven.
“Thus, when you give to the needy, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.
ii. Is your faith all about looking good to others?
iii. If so…your reward is just that—you are praised by others, but God is not impressed
v. Whether in a vow to God…..or eating meat on Fridays….or going to church…..or ANYTHING…
iii. What’s your motivation for what you do?
1. Want to know what God wants? He wants devotion….not just going through the motions.
iv.
II. An authentic faith is a faith that is shared
II. An authentic faith is a faith that is shared
II. An authentic faith is one that is shared
a. A real faith is one that we have in COMMON with others….
i.
And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.
ii. I touched on this last week…but a REAL faith is one that is lived in community with others.
iii. Ever wonder why 80,000 people will turn out to watch a football game, and total strangers will high-five and hug each other when their team makes a touchdown?
iv. It’s because we have an innate desire to SHARE our experiences, and the things we care about….with others.
v. There’s a REASON the Bible calls us sheep…..
1. Sheep aren’t bright animals….
2. They’re not particularly fast….
3. They’re not really good at protecting themselves….
4. But there is safety when they’re in a flock.
5. There’s a REASON they follow the shepherd’s voice….it’s because they know they’re SAFE with him.
vi. So…if we share one thing in common with each other---Jesus….
1. Why wouldn’t we want to be around each other?
b. A real, authentic faith is one that results In us telling OTHERS of it
c. Have you ever had some wonderful news that you couldn’t WAIT to share?
i. You thought you were going to burst if you didn’t find someone and tell them?
ii. The apostle Paul was that way. He just couldn’t NOT tell the world about Jesus!
iii. If Jesus isn’t worth telling others about...does he really mean that much to you?
d. Paul went with Priscilla and Aquila to Ephesus
i. Now….this little jog into Ephesus isn’t really a major stop.
1. Upon arriving in Ephesus….Priscila and Aquila seem to have gone about their business…..and Paul went about his.
2. He wasn’t there for long.
ii. Paul STILL….he makes a point to go in and to talk to the Jews
1. This probably wasn’t a Sabbath….but he knew he would likely find some people to speak to
iii. Illustration:
1. Warren Wiersbe: -- 2 slides
e. So…….My 2nd challenge to you today:
i. How will YOU share IN your faith with others……
1. Meaning how will you rely on others…how will you spend time with others…how will you commit to serving others in your church family?
2. It’s far to easy to simply unplug…to stray away…to detach ourselves from the flock….
a. And go our own way.
b. We’re missing out on so much when we do that.
c. We were never meant to live solo lives…but we are made to live in community.
ii. And How will you share your with others?
1. How will you TELL others about Jesus?
2. You may say…..what do you mean, pastor? Everyone knows who Jesus is….
3. No…they really don’t.
a. Approximately 1/3 of Coles county – that would be APPROXIMATELY 6000/18000 people in Mattoon…identify as “unattached” in terms of religion.
b. They simply don’t have a religion.
c. That’s our mission field…so how do we reach them?
iii. So…how do we reach them?
1. Folks…..our church is probably pretty average…..if we are honest, we’re like “most churches”.
a. Do you look for ways to share your faith?
b. When WAS the last time you shared your faith?
c. The best way to learn about your faith is to tell someone else about it!
d. That would be an excellent discipling program—to learn how to share your faith
2. Would you know how to do so? What would you say if someone were to ask you why they should become a Christian?
a. It’s OK to say “No…I really don’t know HOW exactly to say it….”
b. The summation of the Gospel:
i. We are sinners….and Christ paid the penalty for our sin – so that we don’t have to
c. Example:
i. Law/Grace presentation
III. An authentic faith is dependence on God
III. An authentic faith is dependence on God
III. An authentic faith is dependence on God
a. Paul had just come from Corinth – and he had run into some rather hostile reaction to his preaching
b. Previous cities he had been to…the Jews were pretty hostile to his preaching
c. But when he gets to Ephesus? What’s he do?
i. He goes straight into the synagogue
1. By all appearances…he appears to be a glutton for punishment….
ii. He was doing this in complete dependence on God
d. The text tells us that he had a good reception to his preaching
i. V. 20 – they asked him to stay longer
1. His response?
a. He had to move on….but he told them what?
i. “If God wills, I will return”
1.
b. This should be the attitude that we all should have.
i. God is ultimately in control – and if God wishes it, we will go do this or that.
ii. I told you a few minutes ago my goal was to knock on every door in Nelson, NE
1. If God wills it—I will do it …. WE will do it
e. After leaving Ephesus, Paul left, sailing to Caesarea
i. It says he “went up and greeted the church”
1. This likely means he went to Jerusalem – 65 miles south
ii. It’s thought that he presented the hair he shaved there at the temple.
iii. After this…he went down to Antioch – which was north of there
iv. But this whole time…..he kept it in his mind that he wanted to go back….
1. If God would let him – if God allowed it
f. My 3rd challenge to you today:
i. How are you depending on God to work in you?
1. Maybe it’s to come to church for the next 4 weeks
2. Maybe it’s to share your faith more
3. “If God allows it”……are you going to serve God in this way?
Recap 3 points ------------------------
An authentic faith is properly motivated
An authentic faith is one that we share
An authentic faith depends on God to do both of the above ---- so what is your faith like?
Do our lives reflect the faith we confess?
Do our lives reflect the faith we confess?
Do our lives reflect the faith we confess?