DON'T. BE. CLYDE. - Cultural Clyde

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DON’T. BE. CLYDE.

So… this is Clyde.
Clyde Christian. Great guy. Ask anyone.
Little strange. Nice. Everyone loves Clyde.

DON’T. BE. CLYDE.

Easy to love. Great personality. Warm, compassionate, funny.
Outgoing and friendly.
But trust me, you don’t want to be like Clyde…

DON’T. BE. CLYDE.

Clyde is in church every week.
But there’s a secret – Clyde might not even know it.
Clyde isn’t growing. Not maturing.

DON’T. BE. CLYDE.

We’re not going to judge Clyde for that…
But maybe if we look closely, we can discover why…
And help him out. Want him to grow.

DON’T. BE. CLYDE.

And maybe just as importantly, we can avoid his mistakes.
Or maybe we’ll see ourselves in Clyde… and can correct our course.
When it comes to Christianity – he’s Cultural Clyde.

DON’T. BE. CLYDE.

When it comes to his commitment, he’s Casual Clyde.
And when it comes to his consistency – he’s Convenient Clyde.
I think as we take a closer look, we’ll agree:
Even though he’s a great guy -- Don’t Be. Clyde.

DON’T. BE. CLYDE.

We’re going to focus in on Cultural Clyde today…
And we’ll begin by reading from The Gospel According to Matthew 7:21-27
Matthew 7:21–27 NIV
“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’ “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.”

DON’T. BE. CLYDE.

For next 3 weeks, examine Clyde’s life.
Look at 3 specific things that are hindering Clyde’s spiritual growth & maturity.
Today – we look at Cultural Clyde.

DON’T. BE. CLYDE.

Clyde has been in the church for many years.
Knows the culture. Learned the lingo & proper responses.

DON’T. BE. CLYDE.

Puts hands up during worship.
Knows the answers in SS.
Knows, when prayer is needed, to say “I’m praying for you.” Even if he doesn’t.

DON’T. BE. CLYDE.

Knows culture – but hasn’t really committed.
Hasn’t examined his life to check for consistency.
Is he faithful? Or does he just know the language of faith.

DON’T. BE. CLYDE.

Does he love Jesus?
Or does he just have good answers during Bible Study?
Does his life flow out of his faith? Or is faith for when he’s with his Sunday crowd?

DON’T. BE. CLYDE.

The thing is – no one would look at Clyde and see anything wrong.
On the outside, everything seems to fit.
Some might call him a “model Christian.”

DON’T. BE. CLYDE.

But if we could see his heart, we might see inconsistencies.
His life is unsurrendered. His opinions have not been weighed against scripture.
He is far more a disciple of Cable News than Jesus…

DON’T. BE. CLYDE.

He knows the Bible,
But hasn’t allowed it to inform his ways of thinking.
His knowledge hasn’t shaped his ideas or opinions…

DON’T. BE. CLYDE.

And he’s missing out. Doesn’t even know that Jesus wants more for him.
It would be easy to feel judgmental toward Clyde…
If it wasn’t also so easy to identify with him…

DON’T. BE. CLYDE.

And the most difficult thing about Clyde is that he has no idea…
He doesn’t weigh his beliefs against his life…
And he’s unaware that his faith is only skin-deep…

DON’T. BE. CLYDE.

He’s taking the label “Christian” for granted…
And he’s not going to really know until he experiences hardship…
Until the wind and waves test the strength of the foundation on which he has built his house.

DON’T. BE. CLYDE.

In our passage in Matthew, Jesus is at the end of the Sermon on the Mount,
And he says to the crowd around him,
“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven.”

DON’T. BE. CLYDE.

Clyde knows the lingo.
But not everyone who says “Lord, Lord” will enter the kingdom of heaven.

DON’T. BE. CLYDE

We’re reading from Matthew’s gospel…
Which means that the phrase “kingdom of Heaven” is coded…
It isn’t talking about heaven – but Kog. Explain Jewish audience.

DON’T. BE. CLYDE.

KoG isn’t heaven as we think of it…
Rather, it’s the reign of heaven on earth.
Jesus saying: You know that I’m king, but you haven’t lived according to my kingdom.

DON’T. BE. CLYDE.

“You say, ‘Lord, Lord,” but your life is incompatible with the KoG I am bringing.
You know the culture – but you’re not committed to the Kingdom.
You’re living for you – not as an ambassador of my rule and reign on Earth!

DON’T. BE. CLYDE.

Jesus says: 22 Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ 23 Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’

DON’T. BE. CLYDE.

Can we stand back and be honest about something?
If you’ve spent much time in a church, it gets pretty easy to figure out.
There are turns of phrase and cliches that anyone can use to project an image of devotion…

DON’T. BE. CLYDE.

In 2014, a movie called “Believe Me” was released.
College student deep in debt got a haircut, nice shirt and tie, posed as Televangelist…
Formed a worship band and a fake charity to pay off his debt…

DON’T. BE. CLYDE

Used good spiritual language…
One point, looks at audience and says “God loves you… but does he like you?”
And it comes across to everyone as a deep, profound truth…

DON’T. BE. CLYDE.

He asks for money, says “Praise God!”
And passes a collection plate to people eager to give.

DON’T. BE. CLYDE.

When someone says, “tell me about your work,”
He just says, “I mean… this is really the Lord’s work, right?”
And the people respond with a round of Amens…

DON’T. BE. CLYDE.

And all the while – it’s an act…
He isn’t a Christian – he just comes across as one.
He isn’t devoted to Jesus – he just knows the language…

DON’T. BE. CLYDE.

The movie is a critique of how easy it is to put on a good show…
And the problem is – sometimes we don’t even know we’re doing it.
Like poor Clyde.

DON’T. BE. CLYDE.

Jesus is speaking to people who have done good things…
Things people in the church are supposed to do…
They’ve prophesied, driven out demons, performed miracles in Jesus name…

DON’T. BE. CLYDE.

That sounds impressive! But they haven’t known Jesus.
They have not rested in his presence, or listened for his voice in prayer…
They haven’t truly committed their whole lives to him… Gone through motions.

DON’T. BE. CLYDE.

How do we know we’re not just going through the motions?
How do we evaluate whether we’re just familiar with Christian culture,
Or truly devoted followers of Jesus?

DON’T. BE. CLYDE.

You all are a fun bunch! I’d spend time with you even if I wasn’t a Christian…
But how do we evaluate whether we gather out of a need for community/desire for fun,
Or devotion to Jesus?

DON’T. BE. CLYDE.

It’s plain to see, I think, that Clyde has some work to do…
First – to make sure his priority is Jesus…
And that he’s pursuing growth in Jesus.

DON’T. BE. CLYDE

If Christian maturity isn’t one of our goals,
And if we don’t pursue it out of a love for our savior,
We’re already starting on shaky ground… House on Sand.

DON’T. BE. CLYDE.

Clyde also has some important self-evaluation to do…
What are his motives? Desires?
Only he can answer those questions. Invisible from outside.

DON’T. BE. CLYDE.

Clyde certainly has some work to do…
But so does Clyde’s church…
Because Clyde is depending on them.

DON’T. BE. CLYDE.

We used to ask a question, in our tradition:
How is it with your soul?
Wayne reminded me of this question recently…

DON’T. BE. CLYDE.

Different than, “How are you doing?”
How is it with your soul?
That’s a question of habit, requiring impersonal response. “Good.”

DON’T. BE. CLYDE.

When we asked “HIIWYS,” we expected a truthful response.
“I’m struggling right now to have faith.”
Or “Despite my circumstances, I have joy!”
Or “I’m growing” or “I’m not growing.”

DON’T. BE. CLYDE

“This is the evidence of God in my life.”
“This is how God is moving and challenging me.”
“This is the direction of the spiritual path I am on.”

DON’T. BE. CLYDE.

We don’t ask that anymore…
I wish we did.
I wish we did for my sake… and for Clyde’s.

DON’T. BE. CLYDE

“What are the things that I’m doing that” bring my soul closer God?
“” put a wedge between God and myself?
“” are draining the life out of my soul?
“” are helping me live in the joy of knowing Christ?

DON’T. BE. CLYDE.

How is it with your soul?
Have you done all the good you could and avoided all the evil you could this week?
Have you given your time to God through devotion and prayer this week?

DON’T. BE. CLYDE.

What Christian practices have you kept this week?
How can I pray for you this week?
How can I follow up with you this week?

DON’T. BE. CLYDE.

These questions lend themselves to a faith built on the rock…
A faith that can withstand wind and waves…
And won’t be washed away when they come.

DON’T. BE. CLYDE.

The question, “how is it with your soul?”
Is really asking, “how is your relationship with Jesus?”
“Do you know him? Do you know him more this week than last week?”

DON’T. BE. CLYDE.

Those are questions that a cultural Christian can’t answer…
And those are questions asked by a church that is committed to making disciples…
Not just maintaining a friendly culture…

DON’T. BE. CLYDE.

And they’re questions that make us pause and reflect…
“Good” is not an answer to that question…
How is my soul, really?

DON’T. BE. CLYDE

Cultural Clyde isn’t maturing…
Because he’s content with just being a part of the culture…
And because the church is content with letting him…

DON’T. BE. CLYDE.

But don’t be Clyde…
And let’s not be Clyde’s church, either.

DON’T. BE. CLYDE.

Because Clyde is missing out…
And the Clyde’s church is letting him.

DON’T. BE. CLYDE.

The gospel is absolutely freeing,
It invites us to live lives unchained from sin,
And makes us participants in the unfolding of the gospel of Jesus,

DON’T. BE. CLYDE.

And I don’t want anyone to miss that!
My heart breaks to think that there are people who miss it!
Who live in worry and fear, driven by confusion and desperation…

DON’T. BE. CLYDE.

Who know the name of Jesus,
But not the person…
Who know the message of salvation in the afterlife, but not salvation for this life.

DON’T. BE. CLYDE.

And who miss out on the joy of the kingdom of God!
Don’t be Clyde! Be the transformed citizens of God’s kingdom!
Be the healed healers of this world! Be the redeemed redeemers!

DON’T. BE. CLYDE.

And don’t settle for finding safety in the culture of the church…
But instead – allow God to reign over your lives,
As he reigns over this world.

DON’T. BE. CLYDE

Be free! Be transformed! Be healed!
Be forgiven! Be restored!
But don’t be Clyde. Instead…

DON’T. BE. CLYDE.

May your life be conformed to the Kingdom of God,
As it is transformed by the Spirit of God,
So that it reflects the rule and reign of Christ our King.
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