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Sermon
of 12-21-02
Be A Caffeinated Christian This Christmas
by Dr. D.A. Farmer, pastor
Today's is part two. The first two Sabbaths in January we will look at part 3 and 4. Part 3 is titled, "The Person in the Pulpit."
I still need each of you to write down what you need, expect and want from me as you pastor. I don't need your name unless you want to discuss it.
But don't get to happy, because part 4 is called, "The Person in the Pew." This is where I get to tell you what I need, expect and want from you as members of this church. I also will show you from the Word of God what He wants, needs, and expects from you and me.
Luke 4:16-21; "And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up: and, as his custom was, he went into the synagogue on the sabbath day, and stood up for to read. V:17
And there was delivered unto him the book of the prophet Esaias. And when he had opened the book, he found the place where it was written,
V:18 The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, V:19 To preach the acceptable year of the Lord.
V:20 And he closed the book, and he gave it again to the minister, and sat down. And the eyes of all them that were in the synagogue were fastened on him. V:21
And he began to say unto them, This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears."
Have you ever felt beaten down before? You know what I mean, trampled on, crushed, squashed, or flattened? It's not a good feeling is it? We never walk away feeling good when someone has just hurt our feelings. Especially if you feel you just done something good. Our emotions run high.
I remember the time when I gave a puppet show where my dodo bird, Clyde, laid an egg. To many and myself the skit is cute and funny. But one time I did it, it offended two ladies. They thought I was making fun of a woman's childbirth. I never meant to offend anyone. But my emotions ran high when these ladies approached me. I encountered the feeling of sadness, depression, and felt trampled upon. Why did I feel that way? Because I thought I had did something good for someone, where they thought it was distasteful.
In our story in Luke 4, I've always wondered how Christ felt that Sabbath? Here He, the Son of God, the Redeemer of the world had just announced His mission. The religious world for 4,000 years believed the Messiah would come. And here He was. What should have been accepted as great and exciting news was rejected?
What Christ did was good, yet almost the entire religious world found it offensive. In fact look at verses 28 and 29 NKJV:
"Then all those in the synagogue, when they heard these things, were filled with wrath, V:29
And rose up and thrust Him out of the city; and led him to the brow of the hill on which their city was built, that they might throw Him down over the cliff."
Not one that left the synagogue announced the Messiah had come. They all rejected the truth that the Messiah had arrived. And that brings me to our topic this morning.
How do you feel about Jesus proclaiming He has come the first time? Do you believe it? Then how do you show others you believe Jesus has come the 1st time? Is putting up Christmas lights and Christmas trees the way to show the world you believe Christ came as a baby? Or is there another way?
I suppose since I'm already meddling, I guess I should also ask, do you believe He will return again? Do you believe in the 2nd Coming of Christ? I pretty safe in saying you do believe in His promise of returning the 2nd time found in John 14:3;
"I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also."
Then how do you, how do we as Seventh-day Adventist Christians demonstrate to Jesus and the world we believe He will return again - soon?
Friends, not to embarrass anyone, but how you ever wondered how Jesus feels about the way you are witnessing about Him this Christmas? What would you had done if you had been there when Christ uttered the words;
"This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears"
(Luke 4:21)? Would you had stood up, hugged and welcomed Him? Would you have proclaimed it from the mountaintops? Or would you have joined the mob that wanted to throw Him over the cliff?
That is something to consider this Christmas season. Because here we are again once more, the holiday season. Thanksgiving has come and gone, Christmas, and New Years are staring us in the face. And each year we thank our Lord for His blessings. We hug and wish each other a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. We put up our Christmas Trees and lights. We buy gifts for our loved ones. We get ready for Christmas and New Years parades. I suppose we get the idea by doing this will demonstrate to others we believe in Jesus and His birth. But does it really?
We know for a fact that there is others, which do not confess in Jesus Christ, do the exact same thing each year. Which brings us back to our story in Luke 4 and my question, how does Jesus feel about the way we demonstrate our belief in Him today?
You know that the people of synagogue got very upset when Jesus proclaimed Himself the coming Messiah. So how do people react today when we proclaim that Christ is coming back again soon?
Not long ago I read a true story that went something like this. There was a Christian Church in a small community that loved music. And they liked their music, well you know, loud. They loved to sing, clap their hands and shout about Jesus and His soon return. They loved music so much that they sang at every meeting they had. In fact, they even called special nights to just to sing some more.
Well, the part of town the church was in was sort of a quite neighborhood. Not much went on that side of town, that is except when the church was singing and praising God. One day the neighborhood issued a petition that if passed, would not allow the church to sing loud anymore.
They went house-to-house gathering signatures. Soon they came to a Jewish mans home. But the Jewish man said, "What's the problem with their singing?" To this the neighborhood people replied, "These Christians are loud and noisy. We want them stopped." The Jewish man said, "I won't sign your petition." The neighborhood people asked, "Why not? You're Jewish. You don't even believe in Jesus Christ." The Jewish man replied, "That's right I don't. But if I believed that the Messiah has come like the Christians do, I'd be noisier than they are now!"
Here we are in our new church, have you wondered what our new neighbors are thinking about us? Have you thought much how we are going to reach them with the Gospel?
Not long ago I was in the post office when in walks a young lady, and I say this as kindly as I can, but she had a loud mouth. I'm not sure but I suppose she had to have been a bon-a-fide sanguine. If you have read one of my two books on temperaments or coming to our Saturday evening Vespers you already know about sanguine.
Anyway, she was wearing bandana on her head and her pants were unbuttoned. She came into the post office speaking loudly, and I kid you not, she said, "Sorry about my pants, I just ate and must have eaten too much."
There were three of us in the post office and as she said that we looked at her as she points to her belly button. Then if that wasn't enough, she looks at the women behind the post office counter and says; "Hey don't I know you?" All she could say is; "I don't think so."
I had a lot to mail that day so I played the gentleman and allowed her to go before me. When she was through and was walking out the door she yelled at someone driving up as if she knew them too, but I quickly noticed that they drove away sort of in a hurry as if they didn't hear or see her.
Over the last two years I've come to know most of the post office employees, so as I walked up to the counter I couldn't resist , I said; "So you know her?" She assured me she did not.
But the point I want to make is this, and I'm talking to myself too, how do we reach people like that? How would Jesus reach out to her?
Friends, how will we, as Christians, ever reach out to people like Bill Gates. A person that can buy anything in the world. How do we reach out to people like him, Ted Turner or others like them? I've heard some great men like these voice that all they have they earned, God had nothing to do with it.
But listen to Jeremiah 9:23; "Thus saith the LORD, Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory in his might, let not the rich man glory in his riches:"
How do we get people's attention that the Messiah has come and is coming again soon? Do they see enough evidence in our preaching, witnessing and the way we live, to prove that we believe that ourselves? Well I'm going to tell you how we are going to do it.
I'm sure you saw this morning's title. "Be A Caffeinated Christian This Christmas". How many of you know what caffeine does to a person system? Now I'm not talking about how it damages our heart. That is another sermon. I'm speaking about how caffeine affects our body and gives us that little extra boost of energy to make it through the day. After all, isn't that why people use it? They want that pick me up feeling.
This morning I want to compare caffeinated Christianity with decaffeinated Christianity. See friends, I'm afraid we are living in a decaffeinated Christianity society. A Christianity that is guaranteed not to keep you awake at night. A Christianity without much concern for the poor and needy of the community. A Christianity that isn't too worried on how we will reach our neighbors with the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
To prove this is biblical, listen to Revelation 3:14-19; "And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write; These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God;
V:15 I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. V:16
So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth. V:17
Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked:
V:18 I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see. V:19
As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent. V:20
Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me."
Jesus says in the last days His people will be called Laodiceans. In today's language, to me that simple means God's people will be decaffeinated Christians. Friends, I think it is high time we become caffeinated Christians. We need God to give us that extra boost to spread the Gospel to every one of our neighbors. We need to preach with such power that the message keeps people up at night.
You probably never heard a Seventh-day Adventist Pastor say this before but, put away the decaf. That is decaffeinated Christianity. Allow Christ to pour you a cup of the Holy Spirit until your "cup runneth over." The Bible promise in Luke 11:13 that God will
"give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him."
Let me show what will happen if you allow the Lord to fill your cup with His Holy Spirit. Listen to Acts 2:14; "And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place.
V:2 And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were
sitting. V:3
And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. V:4
And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance."
Acts 1:8 adds; "But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth."
When we allow God to fill our cup with caffeinated Christianity we will spread the Gospel house to house. This whole neighborhood will know that we are people of the Word. They will know that we preach and believe that just as sure Christ came the first time 2,000 years ago, He's coming again. And the neighbors will also know by the way we live, we practice what we preach.
Do you really think our new church is here on this exact spot, finished when it was by accident? I can assure you it isn't. God has a plan. And you and I are included in His plan. And because we are in His plan, this Christmas asks God to pour you a full, running over cup of His caffeinated Christianity.
Never feel afraid to stand up for the Lord. Neither you nor I have any thing to fear in proclaiming to our neighbors that we believe in what we preach. And that is, Christ is coming again as sure as He came the first time.
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