The Barbarian Way (3)

Good morning Brush Creek! I hope your week was good and your weekend even better! This morning I will be

Teaching on the Barbarian Way. It’s a shorter title to a book by Erwin McManus called the Barbarian’s Way out of Civilization. It’s about

How we have domesticated Christianity to the point of making it unrecognizable. We are so comfortable in our lives

We no longer look like the people who represent God. Charles Spurgeon put our current condition in this way...

How can I look to be at home in the enemy’s country, joyful while in exile, or comfortable in a wilderness? This is not my rest. This is the place of the furnace and the forge and the hammer.

Charles Spurgeon

Does this explain your current condition? Has your faith became domesticated over the years? I think most of us have lost a step

Or two in this way if we were to be honest. We are so comfortable in our lives that we forget to pray. We only pray when bad things come our way; otherwise

We are silent in that regard. So when was the last time you had your faith challenged with something that caused you to lose sleep?

Because Warren Wiersbe put our current state of comfortably this way

Comfortable Christianity is opposite the life of faith, for “pilgrims and strangers” must face new circumstances if they are to gain new insights about themselves and their Lord.

Which begs the question....

Have you ever experienced something that shook your faith? I mean shook your faith to its core? For me it was when my mother committed suicide and called me to tell me she was doing it.

I still remember it like it was yesterday. I was 13, sick at home from school when I heard a faint ringing of the phone. I slowly woke up and I answered it expecting nothing much to happen. But boy was I wrong.

What I heard on the other line was my mother. Her voice was weak and she was filled with emotion. She called to tell me that she was killing herself because the new man she married was cheating on her.

And she didn’t want to live anymore because of his actions. Nothing was more important to her than that. Not even her kids!

The last words she uttered to me were, “Mark remember I will always love you.” I simply replied that if in fact she did love me, she wouldn’t be doing this. In fact no one should do this to their child.

That was the last thing my mother and I communicated to each other and it….

It utterly broke my heart. I didn’t cry at all for around 6 months because I was in shock. I was the only one at the funeral that wasn’t crying.

I was hurting, but I was in too much shock to let my emotions show. This experience taught me/revealed

A great deal about the faith I had in Christ. My faith was definitely tried and I

Eventually came out the other side better and closer to God, but that doesn't always play out this way; in fact it’s quite the opposite usually. And it took years before God would heal me.

Not that He couldn’t have healed me sooner. It’s just that God’s processing is different than ours. It usually doesn’t follow the timeline we’d like. But God is faithful even when we are not. And....

Like me, John the Baptist had his faith rocked/challenged

By what was happening to him while he was stuck in prison. And with this in mind,

We turn to Matt 11:1-6=

Matthew 11:1–6 ESV

1 When Jesus had finished instructing his twelve disciples, he went on from there to teach and preach in their cities. 2 Now when John heard in prison about the deeds of the Christ, he sent word by his disciples 3 and said to him, “Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?” 4 And Jesus answered them, “Go and tell John what you hear and see: 5 the blind receive their sight and the lame walk, lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised up, and the poor have good news preached to them. 6 And blessed is the one who is not offended by me.”

Some translations say verse 6 a bit differently, “And blessed is the one who doesn’t fall away on account of me.” YOU SEE Jesus didn’t fit into the Jewish understanding of the Messiah. They believed

The messiah would rescue them from Roman rule and restore them to their former glory.

This included the reconstructing of the temple. In that Jesus would be the supreme ruler/priest like king David or Solomon, but better. His reign and rule would be the envy of the nations. But Jesus here

Was starting to set the tone of how the Kingdom of God will be played out differently in Him. He was not going to rescue them from their captors, the Romans.

So with this in mind, it would be natural for John to worry that Jesus may

Not be the One/Messiah. Because if he wasn’t the one, John would be in prison for nothing and Jesus’ and John’s followers would still be lost and so would we. You see it’s

How you answer this question of Jesus being the one will determine your allegiance to Him and your outlook on life. Whether

You live for his glory or whether you live for your own wholly depends

On Jesus being the one or not. But before

We get into anything more deeply, we need the background to what is going on, and

How John eventually got into this predicament? You see….

John’s early background/ministry was that of preparing the way for the Messiah. It says in Matt 3:1-12...

Matthew 3:1–12 (ESV)

1 In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea,

2 “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

3 For this is he who was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah when he said, “The voice of one crying in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord; make his paths straight.’ ”

4 Now John wore a garment of camel’s hair and a leather belt around his waist, and his food was locusts and wild honey.

5 Then Jerusalem and all Judea and all the region about the Jordan were going out to him,

6 and they were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins.

7 But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?

8 Bear fruit in keeping with repentance.

9 And do not presume to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father,’ for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children for Abraham.

10 Even now the axe is laid to the root of the trees. Every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.

11 “I baptize you with water for repentance, but he who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.

12 His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor and gather his wheat into the barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.”

In the text, we start to understand why people may not like John. He calls them out for not bearing fruit in keeping with repentance (brood of vipers sounds lovely doesn’t it). Also...

He states that the one who is coming is much greater than he. In fact

He isn’t fit to carry his sandals. Which is saying a lot because

Slaves were the ones who carried the sandals of their masters in that day and time. So

John is saying, the one who is coming is much bigger than him or any other messiah figure in the 1st century. Because

Jesus wasn’t the only messiah figure back in that time. There were others but they never did what Jesus accomplished. He proved himself through his life and ministry, and his death and resurrection. In those things

Jesus showed that he was the real deal. The real Messiah. But

When things are going terrible around us, we like Peter walking on the water, begin to sink into our the depths of despair and take

Our eyes off of Jesus and pay attention to

The waves/turbulence in our lives and forget who Jesus is. He doesn’t ever change. Just our perspective of Him does. And

It continues to evolve the longer we are in relationship with Him. And the longer we are with him,

We go from drinking the milk of the word to eating theological meat. This type of meat is for mature believers. But some

Do not ever grow up and are still in the elementary stages of truth needing more instruction. Then the question becomes….

How mature are you in the word and in your relationship with Jesus? Milk or Meat! You decide.

But I don’t like to read the Bible I hear all the time. But when I ask them about the Razorbacks, you’ll talk about them for days. Therefore...

We always make time for the things we enjoy. If you do not enjoy reading Scripture, there is something wrong with your faith. We

Should love the Bible and love sharing it with others! When was the last time Scripture really moved you to change? But we must press on...

Now if John was uncertain of whether Jesus was the one, he should have recalled the time he baptized Jesus in the Jordan. The

Text goes on to describe John’s baptism of Jesus in Matt 3:13-17…

Matthew 3:13–17 (ESV)

13 Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to John, to be baptized by him.

14 John would have prevented him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?”

15 But Jesus answered him, “Let it be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.” Then he consented.

16 And when Jesus was baptized, immediately he went up from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on him;

17 and behold, a voice from heaven said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.”

So according to this text, John knew Jesus was the one. In fact God said as much..

“This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.” So again…

Why did John ask if Jesus was really the one? Because if

I heard God speak about affirming Jesus, that would settle things for me. BUT

Sometimes, in our struggles, we forget that we have access to the Son of the living God. So whats John’s deal?

Does he doubt God’s affirmation of His son. It certainly looks like it. He sent his personal disciples to ask the question, because

For John it was a matter of life and death. BUT

Before I get into that, let’s look at another encounter John had with Jesus,

Which proved that Jesus in fact was the one. In Luke 1:39-45=

Luke 1:39–45 ESV

39 In those days Mary arose and went with haste into the hill country, to a town in Judah, 40 and she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. 41 And when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the baby leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit, 42 and she exclaimed with a loud cry, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! 43 And why is this granted to me that the mother of my Lord should come to me? 44 For behold, when the sound of your greeting came to my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. 45 And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her from the Lord.”

Did you catch what happened? Upon hearing Mary, the mother of Jesus, the baby in Elizabeth leaped for joy. You see…

Elizabeth was the mother of John the baptist. So that made Jesus and John cousins. SO

John knew from the womb that Jesus was the one. The coming messiah. But something

Eventually caused John to doubt. Do you ever doubt? Can you relate to John? Because like Paul said… If Jesus isn’t the one and he didn’t raise from the dead we are

“Your faith is futile and you are still in your sins. 18 Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. 19 If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied.” 1 Cor 15:17-19

So we are to be pitied if Christ didn’t actually do what He set out to accomplish and raise from the dead, once again

Proving that he fact was the one/Messiah. But your

Not like John, right? You’ve never doubted. So what did Jesus actually think of John the Baptist?

In Matt 11:11-15 Jesus says this of John…

Matthew 11:11–15 ESV

11 Truly, I say to you, among those born of women there has arisen no one greater than John the Baptist. Yet the one who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. 12 From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven has suffered violence, and the violent take it by force. 13 For all the Prophets and the Law prophesied until John, 14 and if you are willing to accept it, he is Elijah who is to come. 15 He who has ears to hear, let him hear.

WOW! Now that is a testimony I can get behind. John was the man! But Jesus

Puts John position as one of the least in the kingdom. So kingdom principles stack up

Differently against the backdrop our lives. Those

Who are great are the ones who serve. The greatest becomes the least in God’s kingdom.

And the least becomes the greatest, which is such a foreign concept to us. God’s

Kingdom is way different than the current values people hold on to.

Because modern society tells us that we only have 1 life to live (YOLO) so we should do what best pleases ourselves. It’s

From these types of thoughts we must battle daily and die to self. But I digress…

So the question still remains…. How does John end up in prison and why does he now doubt whether Jesus is really the one. The Bible tells us in Mark 6:17-29 the story.

Mark 6:17–29 ESV

17 For it was Herod who had sent and seized John and bound him in prison for the sake of Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife, because he had married her. 18 For John had been saying to Herod, “It is not lawful for you to have your brother’s wife.” 19 And Herodias had a grudge against him and wanted to put him to death. But she could not, 20 for Herod feared John, knowing that he was a righteous and holy man, and he kept him safe. When he heard him, he was greatly perplexed, and yet he heard him gladly. 21 But an opportunity came when Herod on his birthday gave a banquet for his nobles and military commanders and the leading men of Galilee. 22 For when Herodias’s daughter came in and danced, she pleased Herod and his guests. And the king said to the girl, “Ask me for whatever you wish, and I will give it to you.” 23 And he vowed to her, “Whatever you ask me, I will give you, up to half of my kingdom.” 24 And she went out and said to her mother, “For what should I ask?” And she said, “The head of John the Baptist.” 25 And she came in immediately with haste to the king and asked, saying, “I want you to give me at once the head of John the Baptist on a platter.” 26 And the king was exceedingly sorry, but because of his oaths and his guests he did not want to break his word to her. 27 And immediately the king sent an executioner with orders to bring John’s head. He went and beheaded him in the prison 28 and brought his head on a platter and gave it to the girl, and the girl gave it to her mother. 29 When his disciples heard of it, they came and took his body and laid it in a tomb.

There goes John again telling the things people don’t want to hear (brood of vipers). His mouth/truth telling put him in prison (telling Herod he shouldn't have married his brothers wife) . But

That's what prophets do. They say the hard things people don't want to hear. Regardless of the outcome to their lives. SO WHY

Did John doubt if Jesus was really the one? Because it was going to cost him his head. Which it did in fact occur. You See

Jesus’ response to John while he was in prison was confirming he was in fact the one, the Messiah. Remember what he said, “ the blind receive their sight and the lame walk, lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, and

The dead are raised up, and the poor have good news preached to them. 6 And blessed is the one who doesn’t fall away on account of me.” So in essence

Jesus is telling John that he will die. That he won’t come through and rescue him. He’s not that type of messiah.

The sooner he understands Jesus’ true mission, the sooner he’ll realize Jesus’ kingdom was not what people expected. Remember they believed he would restore them to their former glory. And it says that

John should not fall away because of Him. You see

God’s kingdom is ultimately about God’s glory. His ways are not ours. His thoughts are not ours. Take the death of Lazarus for example in John 11.

Upon hearing that his friend was dying he simply says and does something that doesn’t make sense to us. He states in verse 4 that

“This illness does not lead to death. It is for the glory of of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it.” And then

In verse 6 it states that Jesus stayed an extra two days when hearing of his friend’s illness. How is that helpful?

If logic was the goal, Jesus would have left immediately to help his friend. But again God’s kingdom is different than ours.

It was always and is always about the glory of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. It’s not for us to live an easy life. In fact...

God never promised that! In fact Matt 10:16-18 says,

Matthew 10:16–18 ESV

16 “Behold, I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves, so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves. 17 Beware of men, for they will deliver you over to courts and flog you in their synagogues, 18 and you will be dragged before governors and kings for my sake, to bear witness before them and the Gentiles.

This definitely doesn’t look like American Christianity. We are so comfortable

In our living that we forget that God is there (got a headache, depressed, cold) Thomas Schreiner put our lives this way...

“Life as aliens is anything but easy, and yet by God’s grace the lives of believers are filled with joy, not gloomy moaning.” So does Your life reflect this grace Tom speaks of? A type of grace that

comforts believers in any and all situations. If not

Just ask and it will be given to you the Bible says. And Peter

Breaks down how one should react when trails happen, because they’ll eventually happen.

And Peter said it this way in 1 Peter 4:12-16….

1 Peter 4:12–16 ESV

12 Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. 13 But rejoice insofar as you share Christ’s sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed. 14 If you are insulted for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you. 15 But let none of you suffer as a murderer or a thief or an evildoer or as a meddler. 16 Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in that name.

The text is pretty clear. We shouldn’t be surprised at the test/trails you’ll encounter. So what’s this thing we hear

That the safest place to be is in the center of God’s will. It’s the most effective, but not the safest place to be. Paul proved this in his ministry. It says in 2 Cor 11:23-27 of Paul….

2 Corinthians 11:23–27 ESV

23 Are they servants of Christ? I am a better one—I am talking like a madman—with far greater labors, far more imprisonments, with countless beatings, and often near death. 24 Five times I received at the hands of the Jews the forty lashes less one. 25 Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I was adrift at sea; 26 on frequent journeys, in danger from rivers, danger from robbers, danger from my own people, danger from Gentiles, danger in the city, danger in the wilderness, danger at sea, danger from false brothers; 27 in toil and hardship, through many a sleepless night, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure.

SO THE Center of the will of God was most effective in Paul’s life, not the safest. Hebrews 11:35-40 breaks it down like this….

Hebrews 11:35–40 ESV

35 Women received back their dead by resurrection. Some were tortured, refusing to accept release, so that they might rise again to a better life. 36 Others suffered mocking and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment. 37 They were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were killed with the sword. They went about in skins of sheep and goats, destitute, afflicted, mistreated— 38 of whom the world was not worthy—wandering about in deserts and mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth. 39 And all these, though commended through their faith, did not receive what was promised, 40 since God had provided something better for us, that apart from us they should not be made perfect.

“You see, some barbarians survive the night in the lion’s den; others experience their darkness night and awake in eternity” Erwin McManus.

Also don’t forget that Jesus was in the center of God’s will for his life and that included his crucifixion. So again

The center of God’s will is the most effective for your life and ministry, not the safest.

So how does this apply to our lives today? Well I’m glad you asked! God’s call on our lives requires our full allegiance,

Regardless of the trails we face or possible death (10 of the 12 were martyred). You may not be experiencing anything bad right now, but it

Will eventually happen to you. How you respond to trails will tell you a great deal about the faith you have or the lack thereof. Like

John, it may mean you lose your head. But it could be as simple

As you not getting that promotion you believe you deserve. Jesus promised us that he would be with us until the end of the age. This

Tells me that he’s walking beside you during times of trouble, in times of heartache., and in times of joy. Ultimately, He will

Never leave nor forsake you. The Bible also says in Revelation 12:11…

Revelation 12:11 ESV

And they have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they loved not their lives even unto death.

This tells us that Jesus did in fact pay, by his blood, our freedom to live a joy filled life in Him. That

Doesn’t mean it’ll be easy. It just means that He is worth it. Or it can be said this way…

“At the beginning of Revelation we are challenged to overcome; in the middle we see the struggle to overcome; at the end we see the inheritance that overcomers will receive.” J. Scott Duvall; J. Daniel Hays

So the question must be asked? Do you fully trust in Christ and His will for your life? Because if

“Trust in yourself and you are doomed to disappointment; trust in your friends and they will die and leave you; trust in money and you may have it taken from you; trust in reputation and some slanderous tongue may blast it; but trust in God, and you are never to be confounded in time or eternity.” Anonymous

So why do we no longer look like the people that represent God. Where is our barbaric faith?

Why have we become so domesticated in our faith that we no longer live as though Jesus was in fact the risen messiah.

John’s the Baptist’s faith and Paul’s faith ultimately led to them living barbarian lives for the gospel. It also costed them everything

To follow the real Messiah. But unlike us, they held on to the future hope in Him. You see John

The baptist doubted that Jesus was the Messiah while in prison. This shows us that we can doubt. But it also shows us

That it may cost us everything, including our heads. But since Jesus was/is in fact the risen Messiah, his life gives us

The power to live barbaric/faithful lives for God’s glory. If you are already doing this, keep pressing on. If not

The altar is open for any doubts that you have. Our God is big enough to answer any questions. In fact David Martyn

Lloyd-Jones says this of our doubts.

Do not conclude, then, that because you are assailed by doubts you are not a Christian. It is the devil that is at work. He will hurl doubts at you. The Apostle describes them as ‘the fiery darts of the wicked one’. They come at you from every direction. He will suggest all sorts of difficulties and doubts, anything to stop men believing in God.

The Christian Warfare, 86

David Martyn Lloyd-Jones

So again the altar is always open. And God is ready to answer any doubts you have. So in that, Let us live like Paul and John the Baptist who were barbarians for the faith. Let us pray.