We Lean In

Several years ago, while serving as youth pastor in Emporia, KS, our youth group was known for a Sunday afternoon competition that the community began to take notice of.

We didn’t have Sunday Night Church, so we found a way to spend time with our youth and build new relationships with the community through… volleyball.

Sonic had a sand volleyball pit and we put it to good use. And before we knew it, a group of college students came out and challenged us almost weekly. And… like in any other contest… I was competitive.

These games quickly revealed our weaknesses and… you didn’t have to work hard to find them. Why? Because they could be spotted by through the posture of the player.

I had a wicked serve… and if I wanted an ace, I looked at the posture of the team and found the one that wasn’t ready for the ball.

Even if they were looking at me, they were not ready for what was coming. Their response time was hindered because of the way they were standing.

Our series called Solid Ground is going to look at a house habit that might surprise us a bit… this one might be a spiritual habit we don’t think about too often… that is the habit of leaning in. Our spiritual posture matters.

How many woke up this morning and gave thought to your spiritual posture? How many even know what I am talking about when I speak about our spiritual posture?

Let me illustrate it this way. We knows the story of Peter walking on the water.

Jesus called him out of the boat. The storm was raging around them. Peter swung his legs out and began to walk on the water. Talk about amazing faith! He did well so long as his focus was on Jesus.

But then… his posture changed… his focus changed. He stopped walking in faith and began sinking in fear. He took his eyes off Jesus. He stopped leaning into his faith… he stopped trusting in the Lord.

It might seem a bit odd to speak of spiritual posture as a daily spiritual habit. It might seem insignificant. However remember what I said last week… sometimes it is the smallest details that make the biggest difference!

So… what is posture? Posture is simply the position in which someone holds their body when standing or sitting. We may not give a whole lot of thought regarding posture but I want you to see this.

In terms of physical health:

Bad posture can cause back pain and can contribute to poor circulation.

Good posture engages your core, opens your diaphragm, and helps in digestion.

Bad posture can cause a person to fell sluggish and even fearful.

Good posture is said to increase energy, productivity, and reduce stress levels.

Bad posture communicates nervousness, that you are unprepared, or indifferent regardless of the truth. (Droopy the dog saying he is happy but his face communicates depression)

Good posture communicates that you are ready, prepared, and in control, and confident.

Our physical posture is critical in part because it can direct our emotional and mental posture. It is also the easiest to notice and change.

By changing our posture, we speak to how we “feel” as opposed to listening to how we feel. I’m not talking about putting on a mask and pretending… I am talking about making the choice… formulating a good solid habit of enduring even when our feelings want to give in.

So far this is all dealing with physical posture and its importance in our lives. If this is how much physical posture can impact us… how much more should we pay attention to our spiritual posture? Are we leaning in… or leaning back?

Paul gave some incredible instruction in Colossians 3:23-24 that I have held onto most of my Christian life. In fact, this verse serves as the core to my work ethic.

Colossians 3:23–24 NIV

23 Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, 24 since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.

That is some powerful instruction… that is an instruction to lean in… to give all… not for the sake of earning a paycheck, but for the sake of honoring the Lord. And… this instruction was given to people who were living in not so favorable circumstances. Verse 22 makes clear that Paul was speaking to believers who were slaves at the time.

He didn’t say revolt, he didn’t say rebel, he didn’t say mope around and feel sorry for yourselves. He said to work as if they were working for Jesus. Honor God in all things.

And here is habit to be formed… do we lean in to honor the Lord OR do we lean back in fear or indifference?

One is a response of faith. The other is a response of how we feel. Which one will influence the way you lean?

The direction in which we lean will determine a great many things regarding our walk. It will determine if we are ready for what might come or if the challenges that come will take us by surprise.

Think about it, Peter saw was aware of the challenges before he stepped out of the boat.

He was aware of the impossibility of walking on water.

He was aware of the storm that had hindered their progress.

He leaned in by faith to take those first few steps… but then got caught up in the circumstances. The circumstance revealed the truth regarding his spiritual foundation.

Here’s the deal tonight, church...

YOU Control Your Lean

Which way we lean is something we choose. And it begins with what our foundation is made of.

The Leaning Tower of Pisa is perhaps the greatest illustration of foundation failure of all time.

This tower is 185 feet tall on the tall side and has a four degree lean. It wasn’t designed to lean… but just 12 years into its 199 year construction… it began to lean. Why? The foundation wasn’t stable.

The foundation for this structure was only six feet thick. And… the ground in which the small foundation was laid was far too soft to support the weight of the tower.

Although it was an accident, the engineers doomed the tower to forever lean in one direction by not building a strong enough foundation.

This tower demonstrates a lean based off a weakness in the foundation.

This weakness could have been avoided had the proper work and research been completed. But instead, the weight of the structure revealed the weakness of the foundation.

What I am trying to say is… if we find ourselves leaning back in fear or indifference… it is the weight of our circumstance revealing a weak spot in our foundation. And if we choose not to address that weak spot… it will result in catastrophe.

Now hear me on this point: Our direction of lean DOES NOT HAVE TO BE DETERMINED BY WEAKNESS IN OUR FOUNDATION. It can be determined by strength in our foundation.

Recall the volleyball illustration I spoke of. Leaning in, knees bent, eyes up, body ready to move, is a lean based off readiness… not weakness.

Some of us keep missing the ball that is served to us time after time because we are coming from a position of spiritual weakness and not strength. We need to get back to the correct posture.

You control your spiritual lean by how you build that spiritual foundation. And I want us to consider just how this can impact our daily life.

Your lean determines your direction.

How many have ever rode a bicycle or a motorcycle… a two wheeled vehicle?

I enjoy riding a motorcycle… I don’t own one, but I think they are fun. And one of the things I learned quickly about the bike is the direction of the bike is greatly impacted in the direction in which I lean.

You can tell how far a rider is willing to lean into the curve by what many refer to as the chicken strip on the tire. If you look at the tire, you can see just how far that rider is willing to lean… ultimately, that lean determines the direction.

We even declare this in our decision making. “I’m leaning this way” or “I’m gravitating toward this direction.” The way we lean is the way we eventually will go. The way we lean is determined by the strength of our foundation.

Secondly, your lean exposes your attitude.

Attitude is your settled way of thinking or feeling about someone or something. And many times, we try to hide our attitude behind our words, but our lean or posture exposes it for what it is.

You might declare that you feel one way… but your lean can reveal the truth of the matter. Again, going back to the volleyball court. I would ask students if they were ready and often times they would say yes… but their posture would say otherwise and the ball would land at their feet.

When words say one thing and posture reveals another, it presents the reality of someone with a struggling foundation. We tonight tonight that attitude can make or break any situation. Attitude is important. So what does your lean or your posture say about your attitude?

So we have looked at how our foundation controls our lean and how our lean impacts our lives. So how do we impact our lean?

First off… have in mind the determined direction you want to go.

When we look at the life and ministry of Paul, we see a guy that was leaning into the call God had for his life.

In his final days, Paul made this declaration:

2 Timothy 4:7–8 NIV

7 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. 8 Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing.

Paul kept his eyes on the finish line. Paul kept focused on the good fight. Paul kept the faith.

He was not distracted by obstacles that came his way, he did not lean into his emotions when imprisoned… he leaned into his faith. His outcome wasn’t determined by his circumstances… he persevered… he overcame.

Paul had in mind the destination to be reached.

Secondly, Paul kept any and all distraction at bay.

1 Corinthians 9:26–27 NLT

26 So I run with purpose in every step. I am not just shadowboxing. 27 I discipline my body like an athlete, training it to do what it should. Otherwise, I fear that after preaching to others I myself might be disqualified.

Paul made the decision early on to run the race with purpose in EVERY step. He lived a life of spiritual discipline that developed a STRONG foundation, a SECURE foundation, a STABLE foundation.

Paul’s lean was not based off weakness… but off spiritual strength. His lean was not based off “woe is me,” it was based off “greater is He!”

Jesus Himself promised His followers we would have trouble in this world. Trouble is not a question of if… but when. The question is… will we be found ready… will we lean into faith… or give into how we feel?

That depends on how you read the verse.

John 16:33 NIV

33 “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”

This verse speaks of two positives, and one negative.

The negative is the trouble. No one wants or enjoys trouble. It is not something anyone goes looking for.

The positives are peace in Christ and overcoming through Christ. Both are found in relationship with the One that brings us victory.

So where is your focus? how are you leaning? Toward the trouble, or the peace and victory?

Remember Caleb and the Israelites? He had a different spirit regarding the promised land… he was ready to go up and take the country… but the rest of the people were leaning a different direction. Only Caleb and Joshua would live in the promises of God from that generation because of their different spirit… the way they leaned.

Leaning in resulting from spiritual strength is a result of exercising daily spiritual disciplines.

Those disciplines include:

Read the Word.

Worship the Lord.

Spend time in His presence.

Spend time with His church.

Serving others.

We need to do these things intentionally and purposefully. If we neglect these daily exercises… our lean will be determined more out of weakness then strength.

Will we lean in out of strength… or lean back in weakness?

The way in which we lean is critical to our personal walk with the Lord… and is critical to something else.

God’s Mission Requires us to Lean In.

The mission God has given His church… is not an easy one. In fact, I often refer to it as a God-sized mission.

Reaching the whole world with the gospel message is a large task. We know we are living in the days of harvest.... the field are white. But we also know the workers are few.

God has made the way through the gift of His Son, and He commissioned His church to tell of what His Son has done. Will we lean into the mission… or lean back in personal agenda?

The incredible thing about the God sized mission given to the church is… it comes with God sized power to get it done.

And this is HUGE. Our spiritual posture in this area is mission critical.

IF we take on a posture of having everything figured out… and trying to operate in our own strength, we will struggle and even fail in the mission God has given us.

However, IF we take on a posture of humbleness and surrender realizing we need the empowerment of the Holy Spirit, then we open ourselves up for the Lord to pour out His power into us.

When Jesus told those in the upper room to wait for the gift the Father had promised… He asked them to lean in… to trust Him… to get ready.

What would have happened if they had ignored this instruction of the Lord? A powerless church would have attempted to do what could not have been done on its own.

But… because they waited… because they leaned in… because they positioned themselves correctly… they received power from the Lord and God added thousands to their numbers.

They believed the instruction… the Word that Christ gave them. And God did amazing things through them as they worked to complete the mission He had given them.

Those in the upper room… leaned into the Word Christ had given them. And really that is what it comes down to… Which way does your ear lean tonight?

Do you listen to the world? Do you listen to the culture? Do you listen to your feelings? Do you listen to your thoughts? Or… do you listen to the Word of God? Are you listening to what the Spirit of the Lord is saying?

Bottom line, I want to encourage all of us tonight to...

Lean Into Jesus.

This is the best posture we can take. What does this look like?

It is a posture of lifting Him above all things. It is a posture of falling on our knees in humbleness. It is a posture of giving our ear to His Word and turning from the noise of the world. It is a posture of spiritual readiness… of putting on the full armor of God.

It is a posture of spiritual strength… not weakness. And to be clear... it is not a strength we produce… it is a strength that comes from the Lord. It is acknowledging that His power is made perfect in our weakness meaning… we trust in Him and not in ourselves.

Listen, we have proven that our “ways” result in weak foundations. They will not last. Our “ways” are corrupted by sin and selfishness. Our “ways” will cause us to lean in the wrong directions… they will lead us to be unprepared for the trouble Jesus spoke of.

But God’s ways have us at the ready. God’s ways set us on a firm foundation that sets our posture according to HIS strength and Word.

So… what does your spiritual posture look like this evening? Which way are you leaning? Are you in a ready stance?

Ready to love, ready to serve, ready to speak truth, ready to be the light, ready to stand for faith, ready to worship, ready to praise, ready to lift high the name of Jesus...

Or do you find yourself leaning a different direction?

Praising when you feel like it. Reading the Word when you feel like it. Spending time with God when it is convenient. Attending church when nothing else is going on.

This mentality… leads to sinking faith. This mentality… builds circumstantial foundations instead of purposeful foundations.

So how do we develop the habit of leaning in daily?

It starts with a choice. When Jesus calls us out of the boat… we choose to step in faith.

It continues with daily spiritual disciplines… exercises that help us keep our eyes fixated on Jesus.

It looks beyond what is… and focuses on what can be. It looks to the goal and keeps building.

Do you need to lean in to Jesus tonight? Let’s give the Spirit of God the opportunity to shift our lean and make sure we are leaning in by the strength of our God… and not leaning back in the weakness of our self.