Sold Out
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July 4th is when we celebrate independence day. It is an interesting holiday for us because Christianity is about anything but independence. In fact we are all about total dependence on God. There is nothing independent about it. That does not mean however that God and America are mutually exclusive. In fact, at one time, they were linked together with a very strong bond.
The war may have started over political differences but many of the first American colonists came because of religious differences. The king if England had taken over the church of England and the politics and politicians were controlling the church.
The early colonists were very concerned over their right to choose, their right to be free to make decisions on their own. They wanted a choice in their government and in their worship and both of these were extremely important to them. In fact these things were so important to them that they were willing to risk their property, their lives, and the lives of their families for a chance to get that freedom. They were sold out completely to the idea of freedom and the right to choose for themselves. They were willing to give up everything they had and everything everyone they knew had to get what was most important to them.
The bible has a similar idea. Perhaps that is where the colonists got the idea.
“For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel’s will save it.
“For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world, and forfeit his soul?
“For what will a man give in exchange for his soul?
Those early colonists were willing to give up everything for what was important for them, even if they never got it. They were willing to give up everything so that their children, or their children’s children, or even someone else’s children would have what was most important to them. It was worth it. They proved that by fighting and dying for what they believed in. They worked together and sacrificed for each other and they made it happen. I wonder where they got that idea.
Therefore if there is any encouragement in Christ, if there is any consolation of love, if there is any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and compassion,
make my joy complete by being of the same mind, maintaining the same love, united in spirit, intent on one purpose.
Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves;
do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others.
Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus,
who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped,
but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men.
Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.
For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name,
so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
So then, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your salvation with fear and trembling;
for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.
Do all things without grumbling or disputing;
so that you will prove yourselves to be blameless and innocent, children of God above reproach in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you appear as lights in the world,
holding fast the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I will have reason to glory because I did not run in vain nor toil in vain.
But even if I am being poured out as a drink offering upon the sacrifice and service of your faith, I rejoice and share my joy with you all.
You too, I urge you, rejoice in the same way and share your joy with me.
Not selfish, not looking out for your own interest but considering others more important than yourself. United in spirit, intent on one purpose, having the attitude of Christ.
A recent president ran on the campaign slogan to make America Great again. I don’t know if you voted for him or not and I am not asking. What I am asking is what does it take to make America Great. If it is true that America was once Great what made it so then. A small group of underfunded, under trained, inexperienced people defeated the greatest military power of their age.
Have you heard that we are a nation divided. Have you seen how race and politics and other factors split America today? Well the colonist were divided, about one third of them were loyal to the British crown and two thirds wanted their independence. Towns were split, families were split, America was a nation divided, and yet they prevailed, they became great. Do we have financial problems, so did they, they were much much poorer and less industrialized than England, and yet they prevailed. They had fewer troops, less experience, their generals had less experience, they had fewer guns and way fewer canons. They were outnumbered, outgunned and outmatched but they prevailed. So what made them great.
I believe what made a nation great then is what makes a nation great today. I think it has not changed because it is based on a God who does not change. Those early colonists served the creator God of the universe but the English served the same God, so what made the difference. The English were divided too, I don’t mean that they were also fighting the French, although that probably helped. What I mean is that the English thought they were serving God but they were also serving their King. Their loyalties were divided. They were not sold out, not all in. You see when the British gave up they went back home and things went back to normal for them. If the Americans had lost they could not go back to business as normal, they would lose everything, everything was on the line, so they had to win, they just had to, they were committed.
I think that is the main problem we face today. We have a very limited form of commitment. If the church fails, if it goes bankrupt, or if someone does something horrible and the church has to close, or if people just stop coming and it eventually closes down, we can just find another church, or watch a sermon on TV or just not go. We lose nothing. Nothing ventured nothing gained. If there is no risk there is no real commitment.
What if going to church had a price, what if our government was killing people for worshiping God, it has happened. Would you still go, would you still worship, would you find a way, how important is it to you. Am I saying we should die for the church, definitely not. At least not as it stands now.
But what if the church was really the place we came to meet and worship God. What if the church was the best hope of our friends and neighbors getting saved, what if without the church many would be lost and would die, not physical death but spiritual death, never having been redeemed and never having been recreated into what God intended them to be. What if it was their best hope of not spending the rest of eternity in pain and anguish. What would it be worth then.
All of these things are things that are true of God, true of Jesus, true of the holy spirit. Are we sold out to Jesus. Have we put ourselves in a position that if Jesus is not real and Christianity is not true we lose everything. Have we committed all we have and all we want to what we say we believe. Are we committed enough to win the war?
We are at war you know. We are no less at war today than the colonist were at war with England. It is a war for our country, a war for our church and a war for our very souls. We have an enemy that wants to see us fall. He wants nothing more than to see us under his control and living in bondage to him. We have an enemy that wants to see us working for him and living for him and doing what he wants us to do when he wants us to do it. We have an enemy that wants to take away our freedom more permanently than the Kind of England ever thought about.
We face an enemy that wants us to be in bondage for all eternity. He is fighting and struggling to win. Are we fighting back or are we merely going to give up our freedoms and let him have his way. The bible talks about an angel that has rebelled against God and is trying to put himself in God’s place. There is a war going on for men’s souls and the nightly news says that we are losing.
God wants us to be loving and kind, he wants us to live him and love each other. He wants us to be able to reach our full potential and avoid the things that hurt us and divide us, he calls these things sins. God wants us to be what we were created to be, wonderful beings that never die, never get sick, are never bitter or hateful, love one another, help one another, love God and always do what is best for everyone involved.
The enemy wants us to be selfish and greedy and hateful, the enemy wants us to be divided, for each person to think of themselves first, last, and always. The enemy wants us to be week and isolated. If you get your information from the nightly news who seems to be winning?
Perhaps that is because those who work for the enemy are sold out, they have risked everything for what he offers, if he is wrong they are in trouble, they are committed, dedicated and effective. But what about the servants of God, are we committed, have we put it all on the line, are we willing to take risks. If you look at the church today it does not seem as if we are.
Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus,
who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped,
but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men.
Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.
He gave it all, even his life.
So then, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your salvation with fear and trembling;
for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.
Why with fear and trembling, because it is important, it is critical, it is worthy of awe and respect. God is working in you and will continue to work in you.
Paul gave us his own example. He did not seek death but he was willing that his life be poured out as an offering if that is what it took
But even if I am being poured out as a drink offering upon the sacrifice and service of your faith, I rejoice and share my joy with you all.
Paul was committed, Jesus is committed, how committed are you?