Battle Belongs to the Lord
Notes
Transcript
Krista and I watched a lot of baseball this season - more than we have since we lived in Baltimore back in late 90’s during the Cal Ripken, Brady Anderson, Chris Hoiles, Mike Mussina era. As a lifelong Orioles fan, this year has been both an very exciting and very frustrating year. The first half of the season the O’s were unstoppable and it got to the point where we just assumed each game that the O’s would be victorious - even if they were behind in the bottom of the 9th with 2 outs - they could still turn it around, and often they would. The second half the season, not so much. They could have been leading the whole game, but I would just sit there with a sense of dread knowing that the bullpen was going to mess it all up - and often they did.
Yet here we are - playoff bound. In the last two weeks of the regular season, we seemed to have turned things around, slumps are ending, key players on the injured list have returned - and October holds great promise.
If you are not a baseball fan or an O’s fan, I ask that you stick with me a little longer - I promise the message today is not about baseball.
But having spent many hours between July and September watching my favorite team struggle - I’ve had time to reflect on the nature of a slump. A slump is just another world for a struggle. A great batter who suddenly can’t seem to make contact with the ball may go weeks without producing any runs. A star pitcher can’t seem to throw a strike out, walks batters left and right, and his pitches are being knocked out of the park.
It is hard to get out of a slump because after a few bad outings, the player’s mind begins overthinking. “I’ve got to hit this ball” or “I’ve got to throw this strike” - and that just doesn’t work. Will power alone does not reverse a slump.
Getting out of a slump often requires refocusing on the basic mechanics, clearing the mind of negative thoughts, and gutting through until things turn around. Baseball managers understand that - even when us fans don’t and wonder why they keep allowing a slumping player to play. A good coach patiently works with a player, rebuilding their confidence, teaching different approaches, reminding them of who they really are and sticking with them through it all.
So how about you? Have you ever experienced a spiritual slump? Are you in one now?
I would define a spiritual slump as an extended time of feeling defeated. Being aware that, although you may pray, read your Bible, come to church, worship - inside your outlook is dim. You don’t experience breakthrough, your love for others is thin, you worry too much, and you continually give in to temptation.
The mantra “I’ve got to do better” isn’t changing anything.
If so, today’s message is for you.
And we will start with the Psalm we heard read - Psalm 124 - a psalm that the ancient Israelites would sing as they made their pilgrimage to the Holy Temple. It is a Psalm of ascent - they were ascending to the house of Lord, and they would sing these verses to remind themselves that what God has done before he will do again.
If it had not been the Lord who was on our side— let Israel now say—
and they would remember all the times when enemies rose up against them - when it seemed they would be swallowed up alive, overwhelmed by floodwaters, trapped and devoured like prey - but for God.
God intervened, God rescued, God broke the snare, God delivered.
Our help is in the name of the Lord, who made heaven and earth.
There is no situation that you find yourself in that God can’t pull you out of.
There is nothing on earth that comes close to his glory and his power.
As the psalmist says: He made the heaven and earth.
Who has measured the waters in the palm of a hand or gauged the heavens with a ruler or scooped the earth’s dust up in a measuring cup or weighed the mountains on a scale and the hills in a balance?
Ultimately, your battle belongs to the Lord - and He has already brought you victory. We claim that victory when we believe in Christ and yield to Jesus’ Lordship.
So if we are in a slump, it is time to change our thinking, refocus on the basics, regain our confidence in who we are, and listen to our coach.
So let’s once again listen to Jesus as he teaches his disciples. Now here is the context for today’s passage in the Gospel of Mark. Peter, James and John had very recently been to the mountain top with Jesus and witnessed him change before their very eyes - he became intensely radiant, his clothes a bright white, and he was visited by the OT heroes, Moses and Elijah. They heard a voice from heaven say to them “This is my beloved Son, “listen to him.”
This is key to victory: You want out of a slump - listen to him!
When they came down from the mountain, they found the rest of his disciples surrounded by a crowd with some religious leaders arguing with them. It seems a man had brought his demon possessed son to them for deliverance, but they were unable to set the boy free.
And he answered them, “O faithless generation, how long am I to be with you? How long am I to bear with you? Bring him to me.”
Jesus rebukes the spirit and the boy is healed. From there they continue to travel through Galilee and Jesus, once again, tries to prepare his disciples for what is yet to come.
for he was teaching his disciples, saying to them, “The Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of men, and they will kill him. And when he is killed, after three days he will rise.”
To summarize: some of the disciples saw Jesus in his glory and heard the voice from heaven say “This is my beloved Son - listen to Him.” The disciples that were left back tried unsuccessfully to cast out a demon and nearly started a riot. As they travel, Jesus tells them about being killed and rising again.
What do you think is on their mind at this point?
Well listen this:
And they came to Capernaum. And when he was in the house he asked them, “What were you discussing on the way?” But they kept silent, for on the way they had argued with one another about who was the greatest.
You know what is worse than being in a slump? Being in a slump and not even being aware of it!
Because they had been chosen by Jesus to follow him, because they were his friends, their malinformed egos had blinded them from understanding what Jesus required of his followers and the reality of life with Him.
Followers of Christ today can fall into the same trap. We can think that our status as Christians is enough, that we can operate well without truly listening to our Lord and allowing Him to direct our every step. And we enter into a spiritual slump, we don’t understand why and just keep trying to will ourselves to do better.
Thankfully, Jesus is a patient coach.
And he sat down and called the twelve. And he said to them, “If anyone would be first, he must be last of all and servant of all.” And he took a child and put him in the midst of them, and taking him in his arms, he said to them, “Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me, and whoever receives me, receives not me but him who sent me.”
Do not miss what He is saying.
Jesus is not saying you should start a children’s ministry. Although, his love for children is evident here and we do need to minister to children, he is making a much deeper point.
In the culture of Jesus’ day, a person’s status was based on an honor scale. The more older, wealthier, connected with those in power, influential, noble, you were, the more honor you deserved - the greater you became. People jockeyed for power and honor so they could be considered great. (It happens today as well) A child in that culture was insignificant. As biblical scholar David Garland notes…”The child had no power, no status, and few rights. A child was dependent, vulnerable, entirely subject to the authority of the father; yet Jesus chooses such a one to represent those who are needy and lowly. If one wants to be great, one should shower attention on those who are regarded as insignificant, as Jesus himself has done. Jesus requires his “great” disciples to show humble service for the humble.”
If you are in a spiritual slump, you may need to ask yourself - am I trying to be great in the world’s eyes or in the eyes of God? Who do I seek to serve?
Garland goes on to say:
Mark The Second Prediction of Jesus Suffering and Resurrection (9:30–37)
The greatest thing they can do is serve those who are forgotten and regarded as insignificant—those who have no influence, no titles, no priority, and no importance except to God
The rapid growth of the Church in the early years following Jesus’ resurrection and ascension was by in large, among the poor and humble. It was those who the world regarded as unimportant who received the good news of God’s love and allow His Word to rule their lives. Followers of Jesus saw the dignity in every human being as they served and cared for the poor.
However, in this particular discourse with Jesus, the disciples had not yet grasped what their teacher was saying. They were still living with a “us vs them” mentality.
John said to him, “Teacher, we saw someone casting out demons in your name, and we tried to stop him, because he was not following us.”
“He” was not one of “us.” The same guys who failed to cast out a demon earlier, now trying to stop someone who, in faith in Jesus name, was having success.
Jesus, the patient coach, corrected them. Don’t stop him - “for the one who is not against us is for us.”
If you are in a slump, find others who are doing the Lord’s work and join in.
Do something different - one of the best ways of getting out of your head is to put your hands to plow.
A spiritual slump is evidence of a spiritual battle. We are in a spiritual battle every day. Coach Jesus is patiently prodding us to take on a new mindset.
The battle is for your mind, so protect your mind by knowing who you are - a child of God - who you follow - Jesus - and what your life is to be about - bringing God glory.
In the Mark passage, Jesus is still sitting before his disciples, his arms lovingly wrapped around the young child, and he says:
“Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him if a great millstone were hung around his neck and he were thrown into the sea.
If you are in a slump, maybe you need to consider what you are teaching others by your words and actions. Go back to your basic mechanics - am I being true to God’s Word? Have I fooled myself into accepting the sin in my life instead of allowing the Holy Spirit to lead me into holiness?
Again, Garland writes:
Mark Warning about Causing Others to Stumble (9:42–48)
It is better to drown in the sea with no chance of escape than to face the judgment that God will dish out to those who lead others to sin. One can infer that God shows more concern for the little ones’ fragile faith than for the great ones’ fragile egos, which cause them to lord it over or ignore others.
Jesus then uses hyperbole to make his point:
if your hand causes you to sin, it is better to cut it off
if your foot causes you to sin, cut it off
if your eye causes you to sin, cut it off
Jesus is not in favor of self-mutilation - but He is making a bold and shocking warning:
A disciple needs to worry more about the evil within them than about others and what they are doing.
If you are actively, hands on involved in activity that is not holy, if you are walking in the ways of the wicked, if you are looking with lust or wanting that which is off limits - then you must repent, change your ways and turn back to the Lord.
As my commentary states:
Mark Salt (9:49–50)
If salt fails to salt food, it is not salt and is worthless. The same applies to disciples. If they do not manifest the distinctive characteristics Jesus requires, they are not real disciples and are worthless to him
We serve a Good God. Jesus is patient, caring and will lead us out of the slumps in our life. Our victory comes from Him.
Our responsibility is to stay salty! Listen to what Jesus says and do it. Serve the least of these. Find others who are doing the Lord’s work and join in - put yourself to work. And turn from your sin and pursue holiness.
Let’s us encourage one another as the Church. We have already won the World Series - if you love and follow Jesus you are already champions.
Amen.