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PRELUDE – “Only Jesus” By Casting Crowns
WELCOME & CALL TO WORSHIP – Hear this call to worship from Isaiah 35:1-4
The wilderness and the dry land shall be glad;
the desert shall rejoice and blossom like the crocus;
it shall blossom abundantly
and rejoice with joy and singing.
The glory of Lebanon shall be given to it,
the majesty of Carmel and Sharon.
They shall see the glory of the Lord,
the majesty of our God.
Strengthen the weak hands,
and make firm the feeble knees.
Say to those who have an anxious heart,
“Be strong; fear not!
Behold, your God
will come with vengeance,
with the recompense of God.
He will come and save you.”
Song –
“Everlasting God” by Brenton Brown and Ken Rile
CONFESSION OF SIN – Isa. 8:19-21
And when they say to you,
“Inquire of the mediums
and the necromancers who chirp and mutter,”
should not a people inquire of their God?
Should they inquire of the dead on behalf of the living?
To the teaching and to the testimony!
If they will not speak according to this word,
it is because they have no dawn.
They will pass through the land,
greatly distressed and hungry.
And when they are hungry, they will be enraged
and will speak contemptuously against their king and their God,
and turn their faces upward.
ASSURANCE OF PARDON –
The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light;
those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on them has light shone.
You have multiplied the nation;
you have increased its joy;
they rejoice before you as with joy at the harvest,
as they are glad when they divide the spoil.
For the yoke of his burden, and the staff for his shoulder,
the rod of his oppressor,
you have broken as on the day of Midian.
For every boot of the tramping warrior in battle tumult
and every garment rolled in blood will be burned as fuel for the fire.
For to us a child is born, to us a son is given;
and the government shall be upon his shoulder,
and his name shall be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end,
on the throne of David and over his kingdom,
to establish it and to uphold it
with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore.
The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.
Songs –
“Create in Me a Clean Heart” by Keith Green
“At the Cross” by Darlene Zschech and Rueben Morgan
PRAYER
CHILDREN’S BLESSING & DISMISSAL – Romans 10:13
SCRIPTURE READING – Micah 2
SERMON (Bryan Coble) –
LORD’S TABLE
Song(s) –
“One Pure and Holy Passion” by Mark Altrogge
“Change My Heart Oh God”by Eddie Espinosa
OFFERING
Song –
“On Christ the Solid Rock I Stand” by Edward Mote
BENEDICTION
ANNOUNCEMENTS
POSTLUDE – “Known” by Tauren Wells
PRELUDE – “Great are you Lord” by All Sons and Daughters
WELCOME & CALL TO WORSHIP
Yours, O Lord, is the greatness and the power
and the glory and the victory and the majesty,
for all that is in the heavens and in the earth is yours.
Yours is the kingdom, O Lord, and you are exalted as head above all.
Both riches and honor come from you, and you rule over all.
In your hand are power and might,
and in your hand it is to make great and to give strength to all.
And now we thank you, our God,
and praise your glorious name.
1 Chronicles 29:11-13 ESV
Song –
“The Lion and the Lamb” by Brenton Brown, Brian Johnsonand Leeland Mooring
CONFESSION OF SIN –
Let’s confess our sins together. Please read the bold sections out loud.
Minister: Blessed Jesus,
you offered us all your blessings when you announced
Blessed are the poor in spirit
People: but we have been rich in pride.
Minister: Blessed are those who mourn
People: but we have not known much sorrow for our sin.
Minister: Blessed are the meek
People: but we are a stiff-necked people.
Minister: Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness
People: but we are filled to the full with other things.
Minister: Blessed are the merciful”
People: but we are harsh and impatient.
Minister: Blessed are the pure in heart
People: but we have impure hearts.
Minister: Blessed are the peacemakers
People: but we have not sought reconciliation.
Minister: Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness
People: but our lives do not challenge the world.
Minister: Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you
and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me
People: but we have hardly made it known that we are yours.
Minister: Your Law is holy and your benedictions are perfect,
but they are both too great for us.
You alone are blessed.
People: We plead with you to forgive our sins
and give us the blessing of your righteousness.
ASSURANCE OF PARDON–
Hear this assurance of Pardon from Isaiah 66:1-2
Thus says the Lord:
“Heaven is my throne,
and the earth is my footstool;
what is the house that you would build for me,
and what is the place of my rest?
All these things my hand has made,
and so all these things came to be,
declares the Lord.
But this is the one to whom I will look:
he who is humble and contrite in spirit
and trembles at my word.
Songs –
“Rock of Ages” by Augustus Toplady
“Speak, O Lord” by Keith Getty and Stuart Townend
PRAYER Please be seated
CHILDREN’S BLESSING & DISMISSAL – Romans 10:9
SCRIPTURE READING – Micah 1 Please stand for the reading of God’s Word
SERMON – “Tell it not in Gath”
LORD’S TABLE
Song(s) –
“There Is A Fountain Filled with Blood” by William Cowper
“Worthy Worthy” by Jacob Sooter and Mia Fieldes
OFFERING
Song –
“Indescribable” by Jesse Reeves and Laura Story
BENEDICTION
ANNOUNCEMENTS
POSTLUDE – “Hills and Valleys” by Tauren Wells
Winsomely Weird Wednesdays
“Politics”
November 20, 2019
Welcome & Dismiss Kids to Kids Club
Songs – #111 “All Hail the Power” & #1 “A Mighty Fortress Is Our God”
Testimonies – What’s some way that you have been engaged with the city (polis) lately?
Teaching –
Recap & Intro
What’s one way Christians should be winsomely weird when it comes to:
· Authority & Purpose?
· Speech?
· Relationships & Conflict?
· Drugs & Alcohol?
· Bioethics?
· Entertainment?
· Work, Money, & Possessions?
· Fitness?
Tonight the topic is politics. Has anyone been listening/watching some of the impeachment proceedings going on? We’re a politically charged and divided culture. Christians have a great opportunity to be winsomely weird in our partisan climate.
Allegiance to the Kingdom of God
How do we do it? First off, by having our allegiance be ultimately to the kingdom of God and not any of the kingdoms of this world. Philippians 3:20-21 – “Our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself.” “Jesus is Lord” is a politically subversive statement, because in the first century Romans said, “Caesar is Lord.” To be a Christian is to acknowledge that Jesus is the Lord of lords and King of kings and to find your primary identity as a citizen of the kingdom of heaven.
All other kingdoms are fallen and fall. This week my Bible reading plan has me in Daniel. Special points if anyone can tell me the vision that God gave to King Nebuchadnezzar and it’s interpretation… Statue with head of gold (Babylon), chest and arms of silver (Persia), middle and thighs of bronze (Greece), legs of iron with clay mixed into feet (Rome). And then a little pebble rolls up to the feet and crashes it all down, and that stone (the Kingdom of God) grows into a great mountain that fills the whole earth. What’s the point? In the middle of the Roman Empire, Jesus established his kingdom, it’s like a mustard seed but as all the kingdoms of this earth rise and crumble, Jesus’ kingdom keeps growing and growing and one day when he returns the great Hallelujah Chorus will resound – “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he shall reign forever and ever” (Rev. 11:15).
All the kingdoms of this earth are limited in power and geography and contain within them the seeds of their own destruction. Rome fell, the Ottoman Empire fell, the sun is setting on the British Empire. America outlasted Russia (or did we?), but this superpower will weaken. Jesus’ kingdom is forever and is perfect! He’s the only unimpeachable king. He alone tells the truth. He has exactly the right position on everything because he’s the definition of righteousness. He’s trustworthy. He’s loving and beneficent. How else is King Jesus awesome and better than any other political savior??
How do we participate in this Kingdom of God now even before the Return of the King? Jesus gave the keys of the kingdom to the church (Mt. 16:19, 18:18). Church – this right here – is the most important poltical entity that we belong to. It’s where we find our deepest sense of belonging, our noblest cause to work for, our greatest joys… Jesus and his eternal purposes have captured our hearts and to him we pledge allegiance.
Which makes us weird. It means we won’t feel really at home in any of this earth’s political entities. Peter calls Christians sojourners and exiles (1Pe. 1:1, 17; 2:11). We’re living outside our fatherland, even if we’re living in the country of our birth, because heaven (shorthand for the renewed creation under King Jesus) is what we’re homesick for. We live like the saints of old, acknowledging that we are “strangers and exiles on the earth. For people who speak thus make it clear that they are seeking a homeland. If [we are simply talking about the land we moved from, we can return]. But as it is, [we] desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called [our] God, for he has prepared for [us] a city[, the New Jerusalem]” (Heb. 11:13-16; Rev. 21:2ff).
When I was in high school I had a Bob Dole bumper sticker on my bedroom door. I went to Washington, D.C., several times for things like National Young Leaders conferences, including President Clinton’s Second Inauguration. In one of my high school classes we were supposed to bring a song to have played that defined who you were. I brought the Star Spangled Banner.
I was a born again believer but had, unwittingly, bought into a brand of civil religion that conflated Christianity with Country. Thankfully, as I have gotten to know Christ better and grown as his disciple I’ve learned to disentangle the two. For example, in the church I grew up in (and almost all the ones I knew) there was an American Flag (and a Christian Flag[?!]) at the front. There was a Patriotic section in our hymnal and we sang from it around Fourth of July. I think that’s atrocious and we would never do that here. We gather to sing about and pledge allegiance to Jesus and his empire.
Life in the Kingdoms of this World
In college I was a Bible major and Political Science minor. Is there any benefit to studying those things? Is there any obligation to participate in the broken, compromised, political systems of this world? Can we love our country? Is there a good patriotism?
Yes. When you watch Captain Von Trapp sing “Edelweiss” there is something touching and honorable about that. You want to choke up too, don’t you? God is my Father, the church is my mother, you are my brothers and sisters. But I can still love the smell of my grandparents’ house and my mom’s cooking and respect my dad and enjoy my family’s cultural traditions and feel a sense of fealty to them and it can be okay. Jesus’ statement that his follower must “hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters” (Lk. 14:26) is about relative affections, right? In comparison, my love for Christ makes my connection to my blood family look like hate and they can never get in the way of following Jesus. But Jesus also took care of his mom at the cross (Jn. 19:26-27) and Paul said “if anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for members of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever” (1Tim. 5:8). Similarly, we can be aligned with the kingdom of God and still thankful for and appreciate the blessings of our country and root for it in the Olympics.
John the Baptist (Lk. 3:14) and Jesus (Lk. 7:1ff) didn’t tell Roman soldiers that they had to stop wearing that uniform if they wanted to be part of God’s kingdom.
Paul in places like Romans 13 and Titus 3 and Peter in 1 Peter 2:13-17 said that secular (or more specifically, pagan) governments were instituted by God and used by him for certain evil-restraining functions, keeping the world in order while the gospel spread like a virus in and throughout them. Can someone actually read 1 Peter 2:13-17?? So we can honor political leaders, respect them, submit to them in submission to the Lord (and disobey them when they go against the Lord, i.e. Acts 5:29).
So what we’re seeing is that we’re weird because we’re not of this world and our ultimate loyalty and longings lie elsewhere. But we’re also winsome because we remain in this world. We are still citizens of the lesser, temporal governments and we should be the best citizens of these Cities of Man that we can. Any verses that you can think of that back that up?
State and National Politics
So how can we do that here in the U.S. where we have a form of democracy that invites political engagement? We vote for candidates based on values and our best understanding of policies that apply those values. We are getting our values from God and so here’s my main point that I want us to walk away from tonight with: the source of our political thinking is informed not by the right nor by the left, but from above. And that will make us winsomely weird!
Our convictions about what is best for people and society won’t line up easily with one party or match an ideology. We will bust those categories and confound the world. The world desperately wants to reduce ‘evangelicals’ to a voting bloc. We should defy those categories!
Some of you were at the City to City North America Conference here in Chicago last fall with me when Tim Keller walked through the revolutionary values of the early church that made them winsomely weird. First, he showed how they were multi-ethnic, breaking down racial barriers. Then he talked about their radical commitment to serve the poor. Then he showed how the early Christians championed an ethic of non-retaliation. Then he talked about how they were pro-life – rescuing babies from the garbage dumps and caring for the weak and infirm. And finally he explained the sexual counterculture that the early church had – sex only within loving monogamous, heterosexual covenant marriages. These 5 things made the church stand out then and caught the world’s attention with their winsomeness.
And then he commented that today the first two: racial justice and concern for the poor seem to be the domain of the political left. The last two: pro-life and holy sexuality seem to go with the right. And nobody’s really talking about the 3rd one, love of enemies. What if the Church in America today, what if we embraced and embodied all five. That would be really weird, but I also think winsome.
We’re still going to have disagreements on the best policies for helping the poor and things like that, but if we could talk charitably and humbly we might be able to arrive at more of a consensus and where we still can’s as long as it’s not compromising a clear value, we can agree to disagree about implementation.
This will mean losing a lot of power, but that’s okay.
This politics from above will also mean we never feel excited about anyone we vote for.
Global Politics
But since the Church is trans-national we should also be interested in global politics: International Justice Mission, what’s going on in Hong Kong, religious freedom in India…
Local Politics
But we can become too inundated with information about what’s happening in the Hague or a hearing room on the Hill, or even Springfield, and miss the people we have moral proximity to. I saw this some with Ferguson. The race issue blew up on the national scene and we had people in our church getting rightly upset about this, but at the time we had some evangelism efforts and a Bible Study going on in the Brooks Homes and a Mercy Team forming and nobody wanted to be part of that. Racial injustice issues are right on our doorstep, but it’s easier to re-post Facebook articles about places far away than it is to actually get involved right in your backyard.
I want to encourage us to focus more on local politics. Do you know the gatekeepers on your block? Who makes our neighborhood run? Have you ever considered running for your Local School Council? Or how about showing up at your HOA meetings and taking an interest there? They aren’t usually debating Gun Control or Entitlement Programs. It’s smaller, more immediate issues. And as a Christian you can show that you are concerned as a neighbor and then when they find out that you’re loving your neighborhood not to earn your salvation, but because you’ve been shown grace and that you live out all five of those values, you will shock many people and they will find you intriguing…
What’s Next?
Next week there’s no Midweek Meeting because of Thanksgiving. On December 4th we’ll talk about Gender, Sexuality, & Family. And then on 12/11 we’ll be having a Christmas Party.
Prayer – Break up into groups to pray based on what Ward you live in: (1) 28th Ward (Alderman Ervin) (2) 25th Ward (Alderman Sigcho-Lopez) (3) 27th (Alderman Burnett) and 42nd (Alderman Reilly) Wards (4) 11th (Alderman Thompson) or another Ward
https://www.chicago.gov/city/en/depts/mayor/iframe/lookup_ward_and_alderman.html
Pray for your alderman and a need in your ward (1Tim. 2:1-4)…
Pray that God would guide the presidential primaries and give us good options and for an elevation in civil discourse…
Pray for Hong Kong…
Pray that our hearts and minds would be captured even more by the eternal glories of God’s Kingdom and pray for it to come soon…
Pray that we would reflect the Kingdom of God’s winsomely weird values around the Thanksgiving table next week…
PRELUDE – “All the Poor and Powerless” by All Sons and Daughters
WELCOME & CALL TO WORSHIP
“My hope lives not because I am not a sinner,
but because I am a sinner for whom Christ died;
my trust is not that I am holy,
but that being unholy, HE is my righteousness.
My faith rests not upon what I am or shall be or feel or know,
but in what Christ is, in what He has done, and in what He is now doing for me.
Hallelujah!”
~ Charles Spurgeon
Song –
“No One Higher” by Heath Balltzglier, Seth Condrey, and Steve Fee
CONFESSION OF SIN – Joel 2:12-14
“Yet even now,” declares the Lord,
“return to me with all your heart,
with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning;
and rend your hearts and not your garments.”
Return to the Lord your God,
for he is gracious and merciful,
slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love;
and he relents over disaster.
Who knows whether he will not turn and relent,
and leave a blessing behind him
ASSURANCE OF PARDON – Joel 2:21-23
“Fear not, O land;
be glad and rejoice,
for the Lord has done great things!
Fear not, you beasts of the field,
for the pastures of the wilderness are green;
the tree bears its fruit;
the fig tree and vine give their full yield.
“Be glad, O children of Zion,
and rejoice in the Lord your God,
for he has given the early rain for your vindication;
he has poured down for you abundant rain,
the early and the latter rain, as before.
Songs –
“His Mercy Is More” by Matt Boswell and Matt Papa
“Mighty to Save” by Ben Fielding and Reuben Morgan
PRAYER
CHILDREN’S BLESSING & DISMISSAL – Romans 10:9
SCRIPTURE READING – Jonah 4
SERMON – “Irritating Grace”
LORD’S TABLE
Songs –
“How Deep the Father’s Love” by Stuart Townend
“I Stand Amazed in the Presence” by Charles Hutchinson Gabriel
OFFERING
Song –
“Lord Most High” by Don Harris and Gary Sadler
BENEDICTION
ANNOUNCEMENTS
POSTLUDE – “Beautiful Lord” by Leeland
Winsomely Weird Wednesdays
“Fitness”
November 13, 2019
Welcome & Dismiss Kids to Kids Club
Songs – #201 “Come, Ye Sinners, Poor and Wretched” & #259 “And Can It Be That I Should Gain?”
Testimonies – What’s a meet up you’ve had with another member or with a non-believer lately that has been encouraging?
Teaching –
Recap & Intro
We’re talking about how we as Christians are supposed to be a peculiar people. We’ve been delivered from the domain of darkness and transferred into to the kingdom of God’s beloved Son (Col. 1:13). So let’s not keep living like we did. Ephesians 5:7-11 – “Do not become partners with [the world]; for at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light (for the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true), and try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord. Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them.” We’ve been trying to expose the world’s way of thinking about Authority, Purpose, Speech, Relationships (btw, did you see the recent news that Emma Watson is ‘self-partnered’?), Conflict, Drugs, Alcohol, Bioethics, Entertainment, Work, Money, and Possessions. And show a better way, a more beautiful way – God’s way, motivated by the gospel.
Today we are looking at the topic of Fitness – physical fitness, exercise, working out, health, body image…
Obesity
Is obesity a sin? It’s actually hard to find verses in the Bible about this. I first thought of that story in Judges 3 about Eglon, the wicked king of Moab. It says he was “a very fat man.” And left-handed Ehud hid a sword on his right thigh and got a private meeting with him and thrust the sword into his belly. “And the hilt also went in after the blade, and the fat closed over the blade, for he did not pull the sword out of his belly; and the dung came out.” It’s a disgustingly intriguing story… but it actually doesn’t make a clear moral pronouncement against obesity.
The closest I could think of was Deuteronomy 31:20 where God predicts: “When I have brought them into the land flowing with milk and honey, which I swore to give to their fathers, and they have eaten and are full and grown fat, they will turn to other gods and serve them, and despise me and break my covenant.” I think a link could be made between excessive consumption and spiritual lethargy.
But we have to also be careful about judging people who are overweight. It may not always be directly due to laziness and sin. Genetics may be involved. Poverty and food justice issues may be at play. I’ve heard of someone who was repeatedly sexually abused as a child and then ballooned to 400lbs as a defense mechanism to try to make himself unattractive in the hopes that that would make the abuse stop. So we never know all that is going on.
But I think we can agree that it is in general not a good thing to be overweight. It’s often connected with lack of self-control and food idolatry. It increases your risk of heart attacks, makes you feel yucky overall. And it’s just not winsome.
Several years ago there was a story in the news about a study showing that Baptists were by and large LARGE. I think it was in response to the Baptist insurance company no longer automatically covering Baptist pastors because they were overweight and high risk. And I remember hearing a Baptist leader here in Chicago say that he was contacted by a reporter for a comment and he said he would do it, but said no pictures please… because he was a bit portly himself. It’s not winsomely weird to be known as the pudgy people.
Obsession with Fitness
But I don’t think that’s our church’s issue. I don’t think we have an obesity problem in our body. Actually, we’ve got a lot of fairly fit people. And so I think we need to come at it from the other side and ask what might be ways that we have bought into the world’s perspective on fitness. Our center-city culture is one that seems to not have a problem with obesity but rather an obsession with fitness. How are we to be different?
So let’s think: what are some sinful ways the world approaches physical fitness?
It can be a form of self-salvation. At my gym there is this big plaque right in front of the treadmills that says:
What is a Workout?
· A workout is 25 percent perspiration and 75 percent determination. Stated another way, it is one part physical exertion and three parts self-discipline. Doing it is easy once you get started. [so far so good, I think we can agree that exercise can be a fruit of the Spirit of self-control or discipline]
· A workout makes you better today than you were yesterday. It strengthens the body, relaxes the mind, and toughens the spirit. When you work out regularly your problems diminish and your confidence grows. [okay, mostly good; working out has physical, mental, and emotional benefits; I heard a trusted pastor once say that a lot of times depression can be cured by breaking a sweat 3x a week; but the self-confidence thing starts to make me concerned]
· A workout is a personal triumph over laziness and procrastination. It is the badge of a winner – the mark of an organized, goal-oriented person who has charge of his or her destiny. [this is where it starts to sound a little like Joel Osteen and verge into godless self-help territory; we are simply not in charge of our destiny and when working out makes us have too high a view of our own works, this can get spiritually dangerous; it can get close to self-salvation]
· A workout is a wise use of time and an investment in excellence. It is a way of preparing for life’s challenges and proving to yourself that you have what it takes to do what is necessary. [again a mix of wisdom with this idea that we have deep within us the power to change ourselves; the next one makes this explicit:]
· A workout is a key that helps unlock the door of opportunity and success. Hidden within each of us is an extraordinary force. Physical and mental fitness are the triggers that can release it. [no, hidden within each of us is a sinful desire to be autonomous and self-determining; we are not good at the core and just need a trainer to help us release that; we are sinful and need a Savior; and here it is:]
· A workout is a form of rebirth. When you finish a good workout, you don’t simply feel better, you feel better about yourself.
There’s a great example of how fitness can take the place of faith in Christ. It becomes a surrogate for salvation and the Holy Spirit. My hell is low self-confidence and flabby abs. My heaven is people’s attention and a flat stomach. And my salvation is myself – effort, grit, determination.
What are some other potential pitfalls with an obsession with fitness??
It can come from a fear of death. What is driving so many people to stay healthy? They are slaves to the fear of death (Heb. 2:15). Aging, slowing down, losing muscle tone… is terrifying. And instead of trusting Christ, we try to take matters into our own hands and stave off death by obsessing with health.
It can miss the blessings of weakness. A fixation on fitness often is coupled with a despising of weakness. Those who are slow, uncoordinated, handicapped, limited… are looked down on. We want to avoid at all costs losing our independence. And so we idolize youth and strength. The picture of beauty is an athletic, active person. Those who have deformities or diseases are ignored. The worst imaginable thing in the world is to be weak and frail. But the Bible talks a lot about weakness as the way of the Christian life. 2 Corinthians 12:10 – “I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” An obsession with health can be an aversion to weakness. Are we a community that welcomes the weak or prizes the strong?
It can feed vanity. Humility, C.S. Lewis I think said, is not thinking less of yourself, but thinking of yourself less. The world’s obsession with fitness puts the focus on self – weighing self, measuring self, looking at self in the mirror, counting calories, fishing for compliments, wanting attention; me, Me, ME! But Christ wants us to stop thinking about ourselves and love others.
It can be our identity. Being in shape can be how we feel worth and value. We compare ourselves to others in order to feel good about ourselves. But the dark side of this is that when we put on weight after giving birth, or develop a middle-age ponch, or get pimples or wrinkles, we are insecure and devastated. We work out more, trying new supplements and diets, obsessing about appearances. Why? Because we’ve wrapped up our identity in our physical fitness.
Obsession with Christ
Instead, I think the most winsomely weird thing for the world would be to see a people who are obsessed with Christ and secure in him, who therefore aren’t too worried about what they look like, but just exude a sense of being comfortable in their own skin, because they know they are clothed with Christ’s righteousness, that God the Father sees them as glowing and gorgeous on account of grace. And so they can relax.
This gospel identity produces in us a winsomeness and beauty that isn’t based on the world’s definition of beauty. We don’t let the world tell us what to do to be pretty and attractive. We focus on becoming Christlike. I don’t think he cared at all about his body-mass-index. I picture him more like a baseball player from the 50s – just a normal guy. More importantly he was kind and patient and content and selfless and humble and full of compassion for the broken and weak and hurting. That is true beauty and strength.
This topic has a lot in common with the question of dress and modesty. We obviously don’t want our fashion to be an unnecessary offense to the gospel, but we don’t let the world tell us what is beautiful and try to fit in that way. Peter tells women, “Do not let your adorning be external – the braiding of hair and the putting on of gold jewelry, or the clothing you wear – but let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God’s sight is very precious” (1Pe. 3:3-4). Peter might say something like, “Fashion is of some value for keeping warm and even displaying creativity, but godliness is really what’s beautiful.”
And that is what Paul says about fitness – “Physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come” (1Tim. 4:8; NIV). We should not be people obsessed with fitness, but with Christ, secure and resplendent in his robes of righteousness, and growing into them like clothes that are several sizes too big.
Value of Physical Training
So if Paul says that bodily training is of some value, in its proper place, what is that value?
· Anti-Gnosticism. Being physical – moving, bending, twisting, stretching, doing amazing things with our bodies… – reminds us of the importance of the body, of physical matter. God made matter. God the Son joined himself to a human body. He was raised bodily. He’s coming back in his body. He’s going to raise our bodies. The body matters. Gnosticism was a heresy that said only the spirit matters, but that’s not true. Using our bodies is good theology.
· Spiritual benefits. Similarly, since we are embodied souls, exercise and physical health (if we’re able) does help our spiritual life to be generally healthy. Working out releases stress, helps you sleep better, helps your mind focus, is a beneficial use of leisure (if your work doesn’t involve much physical activity).
· Spiritual metaphors. It’s full of spiritual metaphors. We are running a race (i.e. Heb. 12:1). We’re in a fight (i.e. 2Tim. 4:7). Paul loves sports illustrations. He said, “Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it. Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. So I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air. But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified” (1Cor. 9:24-27). There are many ways that fitness can help you with spiritual growth instead of inhibit or distract you.
· Witness opportunities. It can be a great opportunity to witness. I think of Russell’s evangelistic rock climbing. And several years ago Vivian helped organize a Meet-Up in the UIC for runners.
· Service opportunities. Finally, we need to think about why we want physical health. Do we want it so that we can do what we want to do: travel the world and enjoy life? Or do we see health as a gift to use to serve others? I often think of the story of Jesus and Peter’s mother-in-law in Mark 1:29-31. Read… Her physical fitness was for serving other people. We should be stewarding our bodies for the sake of long-term service, and then when we can no longer, either through poor decisions or just the natural inevitability of aging (probably a combination of both), we are able to let others serve us without feeling useless and guilty. That’s winsomely weird.
What’s Next?
We’ll meet next week, then take the week of Thanksgiving off, then have one more and then the next Wednesday is the Christmas Party. What do you want to do next week? Gender, Sexuality, & Family or Politics…
Prayer – Get into groups based on how much you weigh… jk! What’s your favorite way to be active? (1) Rock Climbing (2) Walking (3) Playing a sport (i.e. basketball, soccer, Ultimate Frisbee) (4) Going to the gym (i.e. weightlifting, pilates, Zumba) Get into those groups to pray…
Pray for each other to have a deeper gut sense of God’s delight in them on account of Christ and freedom from the world’s definitions of beauty…
Pray for growth in discipline and endurance…
Ask God to save specific people you know who are running after things that won’t satisfy or last…
PRELUDE –
“Salvation Belongs to our God” by Adrian Howard and Pat Turner
WELCOME & CALL TO WORSHIP –
Psalm 86:8-13
There is none like you among the gods, O Lord,
nor are there any works like yours.
All the nations you have made shall come
and worship before you, O Lord,
and shall glorify your name.
For you are great and do wondrous things;
you alone are God.
Teach me your way, O Lord,
that I may walk in your truth;
unite my heart to fear your name.
I give thanks to you, O Lord my God, with my whole heart,
and I will glorify your name forever.
For great is your steadfast love toward me;
you have delivered my soul from the depths of Sheol.
Song –
“Everything That Has Breath” by Matt Redman
CONFESSION OF SIN–
Neh. 9:16-17
But they and our fathers acted presumptuously
and stiffened their neck and did not obey your commandments.
They refused to obey
and were not mindful of the wonders that you performed among them,
but they stiffened their neck
and appointed a leader to return to their slavery in Egypt.
But you are a God ready to forgive,
gracious and merciful,
slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love,
and did not forsake them.
ASSURANCE OF PARDON-
Psalm 103:8-12
The Lord is merciful and gracious,
slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.
He will not always chide,
nor will he keep his anger forever.
He does not deal with us according to our sins,
nor repay us according to our iniquities.
For as high as the heavens are above the earth,
so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him;
as far as the east is from the west,
so far does he remove our transgressions from us.
Songs –
“Jesus I Come” by George Coles Stebbins and William True Sleeper
“Kindness” by Chris Tomlin
PRAYER
CHILDREN’S BLESSING & DISMISSAL – Romans 10:9
SCRIPTURE READING – Jonah 3:1-10
SERMON (Nathan) – “Wide Grace”
LORD’S TABLE
Songs –
“Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus” by Helen Lemmel
“O Praise the Name (Anástasis)” by Benjamin Hastings, Dean Ussher, and Marty Sampson
OFFERING
Song –
“How Can I Keep From Singing?” by Chris Tomlin
BENEDICTION
ANNOUNCEMENTS
POSTLUDE –
“God of this City” by Chris Tomlin
Winsomely Weird Wednesdays
“Work, Money, Possessions”
November 6, 2019
Welcome & Dismiss Kids to Kids Club
Songs
Testimonies – How have you been challenged to be ‘weird’ during our Wednesdays together?
Teaching –
Recap & Intro
I have no voice tonight, so I’m going to lean on you to do most of the talking…
Can someone explain what we mean when we say that Christians are to be ‘winsomely weird’??
I had the thought last week that Daniel and his three friends presents us with a good model of being winsomely weird? Can someone elaborate on how that might be??
Work
We talked some last week about the fact that work is good. Christians should not be lazy and idle. Can you think of Bible passages that address this?? Ex. 20:9
What about workaholism?? Ps. 127:2
How should we be different from the world in the ways that we approach work?
· Witnessing
· Integrity
· No grumbling (Ph. 2:14)
· Excellence… to a point
· Not find our identity in our career, have a life outside work
· Say No, rest well
· Work as unto the Lord (Eph. 6:5-8; cf. Col. 3:22-24)
· Be a good boss (Eph. 6:9)
· What about Sundays?
I recently received an email from a pastor who said, “I’ve just met a group of house workers /nannies who don’t have the autonomy to be able to attend our corporate gathering, since they are required to be working on the weekends. There are no other church options for them. Any counsel for how to think about potentially bringing these ladies into membership, when they are unable to come to our gathering? They are Filipinas in Turkey. Their obligations are somewhere equivalent to indentured servitude.”
I also heard this recently: “According to a 2016 time study conducted by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, 34 percent of the workforce works on the weekend…. The U.S. workforce is approximately 160 million. That means over 54 million work on the weekend” (thomrainer.com). The person was saying that we need to adapt to try to accommodate this trend.
Money
What does the Bible teach about money? I.e. Eccl. 5:10; Mt. 6:24; 1Tim. 6:9-11; Heb. 13:5.
How should we look different than the world when it comes to money?
· Stewardship (Mt. 25:14ff) and saving (Prov. 6:6-8)
· Sharing (Acts 2:42-47) and generosity (2Cor. 8:1ff)
Possessions
I saw when I opened my web browser today that Jeff Bezos has a mansion with 25 bathrooms. Is that wrong? 24? 10? 5? 4? 3? 2? 1? How should we think about stuff?
How can we be weird yet winsome when it comes to our possessions?
Home Décor
Minimalism
Christmas
Cool factor, fashion
Contentment (1Tim. 6:7-8)
What’s Next?
We’ve got three more of these. What do you want to do next? Gender, Sexuality, & Family; Fitness; Politics…
Prayer – What’s your primary vocation right now? (1) Higher Education (2) Medical Field (3) Business World (4) Other Get into those groups to pray…
Ask God for wisdom to know how to do what you do with distinctly Christian motivations and goals…
Pray that you would “take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions” (Lk. 12:15)…
Pray that we would have our treasures be in heaven and not transient things (Mt. 6:19-20)…
PRELUDE – “All My Hope”by David Crowder
WELCOME & CALL TO WORSHIP –
Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice,
and let them say among the nations, “The Lord reigns!”
Let the sea roar, and all that fills it;
let the field exult, and everything in it!
Then shall the trees of the forest sing for joy before the Lord,
for he comes to judge the earth.
Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;
for his steadfast love endures forever!
Song –
“How Great Is Our God” by Chris Tomlin, Ed Cash, and Jesse Reeves
CONFESSION OF SIN –
Jesus, forgive my sins.
Forgive the sins that I remember, and the sins I have forgotten.
Forgive my many failures in the face of temptation,
and those times when I have been stubborn in the face of correction.
Forgive the times I have been proud of my own achievements
and those when I have failed to boast in your works.
Forgive the harsh judgments I have made of others,
and the leniency I have shown myself.
Forgive the lies I have told to others,
and the truths I have avoided.
Forgive me the pain I have caused others
and the indulgence I have shown myself.
Jesus, have mercy on me and make me whole.
Amen.
ASSURANCE OF PARDON –
Who is a God like you, pardoning iniquity
and passing over transgression
for the remnant of his inheritance?
He does not retain his anger forever,
because he delights in steadfast love.
He will again have compassion on us;
he will tread our iniquities underfoot.
You will cast all our sins
into the depths of the sea.
You will show faithfulness to Jacob
and steadfast love to Abraham,
as you have sworn to our fathers
from the days of old.
Songs –
“You Alone Can Rescue” by Matt Redman
“How Great Thou Art” by Stuart K. Hine
PRAYER
CHILDREN’S BLESSING & DISMISSAL – Romans 5:8
SCRIPTURE READING – Jonah 1 and 2
SERMON – “Deep Sin, Deep Grace”
LORD’S TABLE
Songs –
“Before the Throne of God Above” by Charitie Lees Bancroft and Vikki Cook
“Behold the Risen Christ” by The Village Church
OFFERING Song –
“Sing to the King” by Billy Foote
BENEDICTION
ANNOUNCEMENTS
POSTLUDE – “My Life is an Offering” by Sovereign Grace Music
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