The Secret Sauce

I want to focus on that special sauce—Big Mac Sauce—what is it? anyone know? It’s special… some think it is thousand island dressing…but I have found copycat recipes all online if you want to eat it that don’t include that.

I think from that word special sauce---the term was coined “secret sauce...”

and this secret sauce is what gives the Big Mac it’s flair...

There is also a restaurant gaining in popularity called Raisin Cane’s.

and I asked Gabe Bailey if I could use him as an illustration. He said, “yes”.

Gabe is a simple man—loves Jesus, music, student ministry, Wal-Mart, and Raisin Cane’s — and I don’t know what order. Gabe is a happy man if he has those things in his life.

You go to Raisin Canes, there are only 4 things you can order:

—chicken tender

—fries

—bread

—and cole slaw

and Gabe especially loves their Cane sauce. what is it? It’s secret! but when Gabe goes—he gets always gets extra sauce not for dipping but for bathing—not himself but food.

You can find copycat recipes online—I am told liquid smoke flavor is a big part…but who knows.

that secret sauce is what gives the Big Mac and the Raisin Canes experience—what is really is. and if you go to Raisin Canes, order extra sauce, and dip to your hearts content.

Business and leadership training for a while talked about this—what is this organization or leader’s secret sauce?

if you look at our core values here—worship, serve, reach, grow, connect—but at the very center of this—is the cross of Jesus Christ.

It is what gives all of this dynamic of the Christian life—its secret sauce.

it is the cross of Jesus Christ—that is what makes lubricates the engine of the Christian life.

It is what we are to keep central—it is what we keep coming back to again and again.

so I want to talk about this...

What does it mean to have the cross of Jesus Christ at the center of your life?

it is to focus on Jesus Christ, particularly his death for our sins and victorious resurrection...

1 Corinthians 15:3–5 (NIV)

3 For what I received I passed on to you as of FIRST importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures,

4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures,

5 and that he appeared to Cephas, and then to the Twelve.

FIRST IMPORTANCE! Paul who wrote 13 books of the NT, apparently had a ranking of what he considered most important—and of first importance is that Christ died for our sins, was buried, and raised...

it was keeping the cross of Jesus central...

this first importance was not just theory—these are not just abstract thoughts for the Apostle Paul…but personal, life-transforming.

look how else Paul says it:

Galatians 2:20 NIV

20 I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

Jesus’s death and resurrection—Paul was so focused on it—and it some impacted him—that He experience it at some level, too. No—he or we don’t die and rise for the sins of the world, but when we put our trust on Jesus—it’s like his death was mine, and his resurrection mine. I am a new creation.

Galatians 6:14 NIV

14 May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.

so when we say we are focused on the secret sauce of the cross…

A cross-centered life—focused on...

Jesus and how we are saved

Jesus and how we now live

the key to both of those—is coming back to the cross and resurrection of Jesus…again, and again, and again.

this is not just some event in history—(although it is historical)

Jesus and the cross is my life—my identity—my values—decisions are all shaped by this...

same is true as a church body—is Jesus and the cross central? what we hold dear? when people visit and hang around us—do they smell and taste the secret sauce of the cross...

the sauce of the cross...

and while we may say “Yes” of course we are—that’s what Christians and churches do!

but hold on…sometimes we can put some copycat recipes for the secret sauce of the cross…but they are not as good, but we try to substitute copycat recipes at the center of our lives individually and as as a church

Copycat recipes...

from the world’s perspective—what the world may tell you put first--some common ones—money, sex, and power—each could be its own sermon—but all of these have a way of thinking…that if I just have more of each…that will really mean something. That really saves me or completes me. but the problem is they become harsh masters—we can never have enough.

me (or people)- we do this almost by default…where whether we say it or not—nobody wants to say it… “Life is about me...” or if it is about someone else — Mr. or Miss right…or about my family…or my kids.

the problem with this—people, including yourself, cannot bear the burden of being that central thing in your life. You are putting the expectation of them being your Savior and Lord--

this can mess up parenting—my kids are my everything, so I will either overparent—and helicopter them, or under-parent, and try to be their beset friend.

it messes up marriage—because no spouse can be Jesus to you. it will totally destroy your marriage if you expect to get from your partner what only Jesus can give

it will mess up community and friendship—even in the church—b/c why we desperately need these things—they are all meant to drive us closer to Jesus—not be Jesus for us.

if you are the center of your own world—and some of us live like that—that’s a very depressing to be...

even good messages like “Let’s transform and change the world.” now there is some good to this—God has transformed the world through Christ, and in response, we go out, working for people to come under the lordship of Jesus, and making a better society. That’s true…but listen carefully—cultural transformation is the RESPONSE to the cross. It is not the cross itself.

if we are not careful—we can make our main mission to transform the world---and the cross gets strangely…pushed to the side.

Greg Gilbert in his book “What is the Gospel?” Love this book…talks about this. “The highest excitement and joy are ignited by the promise of a reformed culture rather than by the work of Christ on the cross. The most fervent appeals are for people to join God in his work of changing the world, rather than to repent and believe in Jesus. The Bible’s story line is said to pivot on the remaking of the world rather than on the substitutionary death of Jesus.....and in the process—Christianity becomes less about grace and faith and more of “Live like this, and we’ll change the world.” That’s not Christianity…that’s moralism…and I would add every political slogan.”

Why do we make copycat recipes that don’t satisfy like the real secret sauce?

look at 1 Corinthians 1:18-25

1 Corinthians 1:18–25 (NIV)

18 For the message of the cross is (what?) foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.

19 For it is written: “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise; the intelligence of the intelligent I will frustrate.”

20 Where is the wise person? Where is the teacher of the law? Where is the philosopher of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world?

21 For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not know him, God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe.

22 Jews demand signs and Greeks look for wisdom,

23 but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles,

24 but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.

25 For the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength.

there is a foolishness and weakness and offense to the cross, especially back then...

but even today.

Back then…we forget this—the cross was horrific. It was brutal. It was the most shameful way to die in the Roman Empire—reserved for the worst, lowliest, and vile. It was public—you would see people hanging on the side of the road as you were going to Wal-Mart back then…naked and bleeding people would spit on you, mock you, it was excruciatingly painful—and a slow way to die. It was Rome’s way of saying—stay in line—or this will happen to you.

so no wonder—the Jews thought the cross was weak. that’s not power. They loved the stories of power in the OT — of Moses parting the Red Sea, of God doing miracles like the 10 plagues—of Elijah and Elisha raising the dead. How can Jesus be our Savior and Lord if he died in the worst, weakest, most foolish way? a crucified Messiah? that doesn’t make sense.

and the Greek culture back then—loved their wisdom, their philosophy, a way of thinking that governed all of life. The cross doesn’t fulfill that.

but God in his power and wisdom—chose the cross to save people.

Though it looks weak, it is powerful b/c on the cross, Jesus is accomplishing the forgiveness of sins, He is bringing a new administration—the kingdom of God in power so we can know God.

though it looks foolish, it is wise. The cross has always been God’s plan from the beginning to save sinners to himself for His glory.

even today—the cross doesn’t sound very attractive to the world. does it?

we try to make the world think we are cool — right up to the moment, we start talking about being saved by a crucified man.

but this is the secret sauce...

copycat recipes won’t do...

so we have talked about the cross—keeping it central.

we have to think about it, sing about it, dwell on it, be mindful of it, regularly.

Some signs of the Secret Sauce

(a person who gets it)

fruit of the Spirit in our relationships. (Galatians 5:22-23)

Galatians 5:22–23 NIV

22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.

most of these are relational in nature—love, forbearance, kindness, gentleness…if you are regularly ingesting the secret sauce—the Spirit will produce these things in your life—so that the way you treat other people is way different than the world.

your relationships will look more like the way Jesus treated people.

you will have more grace and patience with other

you will bear their burdens

you will serve the least of these

and all out of a sense of humility—that I am need the grace of Jesus just as much as them.

2. embracing suffering for Jesus — Philippians 3:7-10

Philippians 3:7–10 NIV

7 But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. 8 What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith. 10 I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death,

a cross-centered person—embraces suffering for Jesus?

not suffering for its own sake—that is weird..

but a willingness to suffer for Jesus because Jesus is the most valuable, precious one in your life.

a willingness to suffer for Jesus because if you have Jesus that’s all you need--

a willingness to suffer for Jesus b/c often we grow most through suffering b/c it strips away and destroys our copycat recipes that we are ingesting, so we can ingest Jesus alone

another way to know you have the secret sauce...

3. self-denial and surrender for Jesus’ sake - Luke 9:23-25

Luke 9:23–25 NIV

23 Then he said to them all: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me. 24 For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will save it. 25 What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit their very self?

our world preaches the opposite of self denial for Jesus’ sake.

it says look in your heart—and affirm—it is self-affirmation—it is self-fulfillment.

don’t deny it in any way—affirm it, embrace it, express it.

but the cross of Jesus challenges that—it wants us to take all of our desires, and filter them through Jesus and His kingdom values.

if our desires clashes with what Jesus desires—we deny them, and surrender them—and this feels like DEATH at times! it does!

death feels like death!

but look what Jesus promises—whoever wants to save it will lose it, and whoever loses it will save it!

on the other side of Jesus’ death was resurrection...

and when we die—though painful—it leads to resurrection in Jesus—spiritually now, and physically one day.

look at this chart again…our values...

look at the cross for all these things

struggling to worship? reflect on what Jesus did for you on the cross

struggling to serve—Jesus humbled himself and became obedient to death even death on a cross

struggling to grow—focusing my attention on the cross daily is the means by which I grow—struggling to forgive? Jesus forgave me thru the cross. struggling to be generous—Jesus poured out His generosity on me through the cross.

struggling to connect—the cross enables us to join with others—the cross keeps us from looking down on others or worshipping others—we are all in need of the same Savior and all affirmed by the grace of God...

struggling to reach — look to the cross…who left heaven to come to earth and die for us.

One of the best ways to apply what we learned as a community—is to go to the Lord’s Supper together. The Lord’s Table.

Luke 22:19–20 NIV

19 And he took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me.” 20 In the same way, after the supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you.

Isaiah 53:2–7 NIV

2 He grew up before him like a tender shoot, and like a root out of dry ground. He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him. 3 He was despised and rejected by mankind, a man of suffering, and familiar with pain. Like one from whom people hide their faces he was despised, and we held him in low esteem. 4 Surely he took up our pain and bore our suffering, yet we considered him punished by God, stricken by him, and afflicted. 5 But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed. 6 We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all. 7 He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before its shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth.

Isaiah 53:8–10 NIV

8 By oppression and judgment he was taken away. Yet who of his generation protested? For he was cut off from the land of the living; for the transgression of my people he was punished. 9 He was assigned a grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death, though he had done no violence, nor was any deceit in his mouth. 10 Yet it was the Lord’s will to crush him and cause him to suffer, and though the Lord makes his life an offering for sin, he will see his offspring and prolong his days, and the will of the Lord will prosper in his hand.

The Secret Sauce

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