Honor the Past - Nov. 5th, 2023

Introduction

Luke 22:14–20 KJV 1900

14 And when the hour was come, he sat down, and the twelve apostles with him. 15 And he said unto them, With desire I have desired to eat this passover with you before I suffer: 16 For I say unto you, I will not any more eat thereof, until it be fulfilled in the kingdom of God. 17 And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and said, Take this, and divide it among yourselves: 18 For I say unto you, I will not drink of the fruit of the vine, until the kingdom of God shall come. 19 And he took bread, and gave thanks, and brake it, and gave unto them, saying, This is my body which is given for you: this do in remembrance of me. 20 Likewise also the cup after supper, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood, which is shed for you.

Illustration - Power Equals Responsibility

The Disciples in Context (arguing over who would be the greatest)

How do we honor the past without being in bondage to it?

The Jews of Jesus’ Day had a rich religious heritage, but they had become slaves to their Judaism. Jesus came to set them free by fulfilling the Law for them. Jesus came to enable them to live by the Spirit instead of by the letter of the law. Jesus came to bring empowerment by the Holy Spirit to all who would follow Him in faith.

I. Basic Assumptions We All Need to Make.

A. Change Is Difficult on Everyone.

Change is hard, whether that change is for the better, or for the worst.

“Everyone loves change, until it affects them directly.” ~Dr. Charles Shoemaker

1. Because We Each Have the Tendency to Romanticize the Past.

Numbers 11:4–5 KJV 1900

4 And the mixt multitude that was among them fell a lusting: and the children of Israel also wept again, and said, Who shall give us flesh to eat? 5 We remember the fish, which we did eat in Egypt freely; the cucumbers, and the melons, and the leeks, and the onions, and the garlick:

However, the Preacher did remind us that in life, there sometimes comes,

Ecclesiastes 3:3 (KJV)

3 . . . A time to break down, and a time to build up;

Arguments against change - here are several reasons that individuals or congregations might be reluctant to embrace change, even when it's necessary for growth or adaptation:

Just because something is “new” does not always mean it is “better.”

This church did not need that for the past 75 years, so why should we need it now?

People can become personally vested in material things that carry sentimental value. Social Media, “Pastor Hates the Cross!” and “Pastor Throws Cross in the Dumpster!”

Comfort with the Familiar: People often prefer the comfort of what they know over the uncertainty of the new. The known, even with its flaws, can feel safer than the unknown.

Fear of Loss: Change can be associated with loss — loss of traditions, status, influence, or even relationships. This fear can make people hold onto the past tightly.

Idealization of the Past: Sometimes the past is romanticized as a 'golden age,' and any change is seen as a departure from the 'ideal' times.

Lack of Vision: Resistance can come from an inability to see the benefits of the future, or from a lack of understanding of the vision and how it continues the legacy of the past.

Distrust in Leadership: If there’s a lack of trust in those proposing change, people may resist even beneficial changes.

Perceived Irrelevance: Changes that don’t seem to address pressing needs or that appear cosmetic can be resisted because they aren’t seen as relevant to the core mission of the church.

Fear of Failure: Some resist change because they fear the new direction may not succeed, leading to a reluctance to take risks.

Loss of Power or Comfort: Changes in church structure or practice can shift the dynamics of power or influence, which might discomfort those who are currently in positions of leadership or privilege.

Overwhelm by the Pace of Change: In a rapidly changing world, some might want the church to be a haven of stability and predictability.

Misalignment with Personal Convictions: Some might resist changes that they feel are not in line with their own interpretation of scripture or with the church’s historical teachings.

It is also essential to remember the example of the early church in Acts, which, while rooted in Jewish tradition, embraced the radical changes brought about by the gospel of Christ, expanding its mission to the Gentiles and continually adapting to spread its message.

2. Because We Each Do Not Share Identical (i.e., cookie-cutter) Values.

What might be mere tradition to one might be rooted in a deep conviction by someone else.

Having traditions in common provides an assembly with a shared identity together.

B. Transition Can Be Extremely Difficult on Former Pastors.

1. Shift in Identity.

2. Shift in Anxiety.

3. Shift in Rhythms.

C. Every Leader Is a Unique Person.

II. How Can We Honor the Past While Keeping Faith for the Future?

A. Honor the Best of the Past - COMMUNION.

An exclusively man-focused memory of the past hurts a church’s future. As we look back on the past, let’s be sure to focus on what the Lord has done, and less on what a person might have done.

Consider Joshua, he brought forth the best of the past as the Israelites came into Canaan. There were surely some horrendous tragedies along the way, but Joshua kept the people’s focus on what the Lord had done.

One thing I appreciate about Pastor Ward is his humility. Not once did he communicate any expectations for me to honor him and Mrs. Susie. That was just something that I thought was important to do, but I never felt like it was anything that was “expected.” However, I did pray about how much honor was appropriate, because not showing honor could be construed to communicate disrespect, but at the same time, too much honor could be just as damaging if it is not handled right, because it could cause us to lose sight of the One who is everything, the Lord.

One writer said it like this, “If you don’t honor the past, you lose your ability to be influential” (Tyler Reagin, Leading Things You Didn’t Start, 38).

This truth was seen in Jesus, as He gathered with His disciples, the timing of the Passover meal where He instituted something new in the Lord’s Supper was no accident.

B. Remain Dead to Self - CRUCIFIXION.

When I met with my sending pastor, Dr. Randall, he prayed with me about the prospect of our two churches uniting, and he was a real encouragement. One of the things he said to me, which also confirmed some things I had already been in a season of personal prayer for, was that if this was going to work out, I would have to remain humble. I took his advice to heart. Any time Pastor Ward and I met, I always sought to give him deference, and respect his thoughts. And the funny thing is, he was constantly trying to do the same for me. And when we would have discussions, it was consistently about yielding to each other, which I believe, looking back, put us in the best position to remain yielded to the Holy Spirit first and foremost.

Probably, one of the most difficult things that Pastor Ward had to do when he was passing the baton to me was to hand off all the “Ministry keys.”

For us to unite, I had to bury myself, my desires, my dreams, my ambitions. For us to unite, Pastor Ward had to die to hisself daily. Because we did, we got to see God work, and,

C. Accept the New Beginning - RESURRECTION.

Luke 24:5–7 KJV 1900

5 And as they were afraid, and bowed down their faces to the earth, they said unto them, Why seek ye the living among the dead? 6 He is not here, but is risen: remember how he spake unto you when he was yet in Galilee, 7 Saying, The Son of man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again.

Every transition means that something else has to end. But just because something ends, that does not mean that every ending is a failure. We call graduations commencement (beginning), because we transition, and one thing ends, but a new thing begins.

Old things are passed away, behold, all things are become new.

Jesus ended His earthly ministry with a church of only 120 disciples. Did He fail?

D. Forge Ahead through What Our Ministry Values - COMMISSION.

This church, in February of 2024, will celebrate being in Westminster for 75 years! Through that time, it really has been blessed, because it has only had a handful of pastors that I’m aware of. I do not know much of the history of these years, but I do know that God is still working here, and wants this church to be united around the cause of Christ, and the Great Commission. I want to see God raise up soulwinners in this church. I want to see more people follow the Lord in Baptism, like we did this morning. I want to see this church continue discipling others to grow in knowing Jesus Christ, as each church member here becomes more and better equipped for the work of the ministry, for the perfecting of the saints, and for the edifying of the body of Christ.

E. Love One Another (i.e., love the older generation; lead the younger generation) - FELLOWSHIP.

I have noticed a tragedy in my generation. So many well-meaning ministries and pastors and churches seem to have completely forgotten the older generation that has given us so much to build our lives on. So many before us have pioneered in the faith, and put down the foundation of the Bible for us to have an easier time to build up the saints.

Yet, on the other side of the spectrum, I have also noticed that so few of the older generation seem to be truly taking their task to teach the younger generation seriously, and there are no doubt multiple reasons that this has become compounded, and I realize that there are exceptions on either side of this as well, but the challenge yet remains to us to be intentional on both sides of the age spectrum.

The younger believers need to continue to show love and respect to our more aged saints, and our elder believers need to be more intentional in their efforts to disciple the younger generation.

Simply put, we need more fellowship among the believers.

Conclusion:

The Ordinances of the Local Church provided the early believers with vibrant pictures of the past, but each Ordinance was also established to challenge them to look to the future by faith.

Baptism - “newness of life”

Lord’s Table - “drink it new in Christ’s coming Kingdom”; “shew the Lord’s death, till He come”

This Do (Present Picture) In Remembrance (Past Sacrifice) of ME (Future Coming)