Morning Message Text: Ephesians 4: 25-5: 2
25 Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to your neighbor, for we are all members of one body.
26 “In your anger do not sin” : Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry,
27 and do not give the devil a foothold.
28 Anyone who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with their own hands, that they may have something to share with those in need.
29 Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.
30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.
31 Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice.
32 Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.
1 Follow God’s example, therefore, as dearly loved children
2 and walk in the way of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.
Morning Message:
I’ve been pondering a nugget of thought that goes like this, “To be more against the devil than for God is exceedingly dangerous.” This registers with me. It’s easy to have toxic things consume us, distract us, and keep us from focusing the energy of our callings and mission for good. In fighting the dragon we need to be careful to not become the dragon. We need to be known more for what we are for that what we are against . In other words, not just cursing the darkness but lighting a candle. This type of thought process is so prevalent today. As a society we have been brainwashed into focusing on the negative instead of looking for the positive.
This is a great season to observe exactly how this world wants us to think. We are inundated with negative, bad thoughts. We are told over and over how bad each political party and its candidates are. We are told to focus on how bad the other person is or may become, but very little about the good that they want to do. I have had it up to here with the mud-slinging and personal attacks. They even go after family members. For what? To get elected to an office. To do what? Just to have power. This country is going to hell in a hand-basket and all you can do is tear each other apart and attack families. A long, long time ago I can remember when people could run on the good they have done; they had a successful record instead of insults.
As the church representing Jesus Christ, we must be better; we must be different. There is a short story of two boys who went fishing and ended up killing snakes all day. They never got to the fishing. Jesus said, “Follow me and I will make you fishers of men.” Let’s not get so distracted focusing on the snakes that we forget the one who tramples snakes under His feet and has the power of transformation. Listen! We need to let this sink in. Yes, we should be against evil, but our focus should be on the goodness of God and His call upon our lives to be a positive force in this hurting world. I know that I am as guilty of this as anyone. I realize that not everyone is like me. I have always paid attention to politics. It is very challenging for me as a pastor to keep my political views to myself, but I know that I must. I am here to lead you spiritually not politically. Jesus called out politicians for their wrong views about God and his ministry and if I hear a politician speak or do something ungodly or anti-Christian then I should point that out, but I am not Jesus. I find myself at times dwelling too much on the negative and wrong actions, and I must remind myself to look for the good.
We are called to be a united church in a divided world. Our scripture today calls us to that higher standard that our Savior demands of his followers. A Christians uniqueness in the world should be apparent in his or her morality. This should go without saying, but Christians should not steal. All Paul says here is,
“Anyone who has been stealing must steal no longer, but work.” Do something useful, help others, be an upstanding person worthy of the title Christian. Don’t be moody. Anger is not a good look for anyone, but especially not for someone who claims to be walking with Jesus. Share your money. Once again when I preach this, I must remind you that this must come from the heart, but you must care, and greed is not Christ-like. Your mouth and your manners. These go hand in hand. In order for the church to show a united front, we must be careful not to be divisive in our speech. Words matter, and words can hurt. The tongue is like a fire that can set many things a blaze. This one can be very difficult for some Christians. Some things become very engrained in us from our previous life, but we are called to give control of all things to God, even our tongues. None of these things that Paul lists should be a part of a united church, but it takes work and prayer.
I love sharing history with you. I find new things all the time from history. Do any of you recognize the name Buckner Fanning? He pastored a church for 40 years and was a former U.S. Marine and World War II veteran. He was among the first troops to land in Nagasaki, Japan after the United States dropped an atomic bomb on the city in 1945. On August 9, 1945, a blinding flash took place and 74,000 people died instantly and 50,000 more would die slowly. Buckner and his unit arrived in Nagasaki three weeks after the blast. Devastation was everywhere, and people were walking around like zombies. He saw a bombed building with a collapsed roof. The sign outside in Japanese and English said, “Baptist Church.” On Sunday, Buckner showed up wearing his best Marine uniform. As he walked in, he saw that the pews were destroyed, and the interior walls had fallen. Fifteen people sat in a circle. These Japanese followers of Jesus, who witnessed death and carnage all around them, looked up at this U.S. Marine. What would happen? They immediately waved the young Marine over and grabbed another chair. He was instantly invited into the circle of fellowship. A little later they offered him the bread and the cup as they took the Lord’s Supper together. They were not enemies, but brothers. They declared that even though this old world was divided, they were ONE in Jesus. The cross and resurrection broke down the hostility and brought peace.
This is what happens when we keep the main thing the main thing. In our divided world, may we have a united church. There are many scripture that I could point out which speak of the importance of unity in the church. I will use just one this morning. From the prayer that Jesus prayed for all of us. John 17: 20-21: “My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me.”
As we live in the sometimes-divided states of our nation, may the people of God be the answer to the prayer of Jesus that His followers would be so united that the world would know God sent His Son.
In Christ’s Love and Peace,
Pastor Bob
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