THE GOOD LIFE

INTRODUCTION

OPENING STORY (PICTURE OF THE 16TH STREET BAPTIST CHURCH). TODAY WE HONOR THE LEGACY OF DR. MLK. NO…THIS WILL NOT BE A BIOGRAPHY ON HIS LIFE, BUT I DO WANT TO USE A MOMENT OR TWO FROM HIS LIFE TO ILLUMINE THE SCRIPTURES FOR US THIS MORNING.

ON THE MORNING OF SEPTEMBER 15TH, 1963 THE CHURCH WAS BOMBED, KILLING FOUR LITTLE GIRLS AND BECOMING ONE OF THE MOST HEINOUS ACTS OF TERRORISM EVER TO BE EXACTED ON AMERICAN SOIL. WHY? ALL THAT SPRING DR. MLK AND HIS LIEUTENANTS WERE IN TOWN FIGHTING FOR JUSTICE BY TAKING ON UNLAWFUL SEGREGATION…THE MOVEMENT AS WE KNOW WAS INEXTRICABLY TIED TO THE LOCAL CHURCH, AND THE 16TH STREET CHURCH WAS ONE OF THE RALLYING POINTS FOR THE MARCHERS…THUS THE REASON WHY THE CHURCH WAS BOMBED.

POINT: THE AA CHURCH DURING THE CRM IS AN EXAMPLE FOR US, A THOROUGHLY BIBLICAL ONE, BECAUSE IT SHOWS US THE CHURCH WAS SYNONYMOUS WITH JUSTICE. BEFORE THEY TOOK TO THE STREETS THEY TOOK TO THE CHURCH, AND HEARD PASSAGES LIKE THIS ONE PREACHED TO THEM, REMINDING THEM WHAT IT REALLY MEANS TO BE A CHRISTIAN! BUT WE’VE DRIFTED FAR, FAR FROM THIS. JUST LIKE THE PEOPLE OF GOD HAD DRIFTED IN THE DAYS OF MICAH.

A CORRUPT CULTURE: BACKGROUND OF MICAH: MICAH IS CALLED THE PROPHET TO THE POOR…BECAUSE HE EXPRESSES GOD’S HEART FOR THE MARGINALIZED. THE BOOK OF MICAH IS WRITTEN TO CORRECT GROSS INJUSTICES THAT GOD’S PEOPLE HAD BECOME ACTIVE PARTICIPANTS IN. THE RISE OF THE WEALTHY AND AFFLUENT SOCIETY…RIFE WITH CORRUPTION. SEIZING PEOPLE’S PROPERTY, UNJUST SCALES AND TAKING ADVANTAGE OF THE POOR. WHAT’S MORE IS THE BOOK TELLS US OF MANY FALSE PROPHETS WHO INSTEAD OF SPEAKING TRUTH TO POWER, SOUGHT TO PLACATE THE RICH BY TELLING THEM LIES, WHAT THEY WANTED TO HEAR…NOT MICAH.

APPLICATION: IF EVER THERE WAS A BOOK WRITTEN TO AMERICA IT’S MICAH. LIKE THE PEOPLE IN MICAH’S DAY, OURS ON THE GLOBAL SCALE IS AN AFFLUENT SOCIETY, WHERE INJUSTICE AND CORRUPTION ABOUND. WE’VE SEEN THIS IN RECENT YEARS- PONZI SCHEMES, WOMEN EXPLOITED IN THE #METOO MOVEMENT, AND EVEN NOW AS WE ARE IN THE MIDST OF THE LONGEST GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN WHERE ALMOST A MILLION WORKERS ARE BEING USED AS PAWNS FOR POLITICAL PURPOSES, GOING WITHOUT PAY. THE GAP BETWEEN THE AFFLUENT AND POOR HERE IN AMERICA IS WIDENING, AND THE WHOLE QUESTION IS WHERE IS THE CHURCH? RON SIDER- SCANDAL OF THE EVANGELICAL CONSCIENCE…DON’T TITHE…WE ARE COMPLICIT IN THE INJUSTICE.

ILLUSTRATION: NOTICE HERE THAT GOD IS CALLING OUT THE PEOPLE OF GOD, NOT GOVERNMENT, AND ASKING IN SO MANY TERMS, WHERE ARE YOU? IMPLICIT IN THIS IS GOD SAYING, I HAVE CALLED YOU TO BE ON THE FRONT LINES OF JUSTICE AND CULTURAL RENEWAL. THE CHURCH IS TO BE LIKE THE WHITE BLOOD CELLS. SOMETHING FUNKY INVADES THE BODY, YOUR WHITE BLOOD CELLS ARE UNLEASHED TO DEAL WITH IT AND BRING HEALING…THAT’S TO BE THE CHURCH!

AN INCOMPLETE COMMUNITY (6-7). VERSES 6-7 A SERIES OF RHETORICAL QUESTIONS…PAINTS A PICTURE OF A PERSON BRINGING VARIOUS SACRIFICES…PLEASE NOTICE THE SACRIFICES BECOME PROGRESSIVELY MORE COSTLY AND VALUABLE…EXPLAIN. CULMINATES IN THE GIVING OF A CHILD. THIS IS A VERY RELIGIOUS PERSON WHO DOTS THEIR RELIGIOUS I’S AND CROSSES THEIR RELIGIOUS T’S. VERY RELIGIOUS. AND YET THE IMPLICATION OF ALL OF THIS IS THAT THEIR RELIGION IS NOT ENOUGH.

HEAVY APPLICATION

POINT: YOU CAN BE RELIGIOUS AND WRONG ALL AT THE SAME TIME. RELIGIOUSLY WRONG! YOU CAN DO THE RIGHT THINGS BUT MISS THE WHOLE POINT.

ILLUSTRATION: LIKE THE CHILD WHO COMES TO THE FATHER AND SAYS I DON’T FEEL LIKE YOU LOVE ME. HE RESPONDS BY SAYING WHAT DO YOU MEAN. I GO TO WORK EVERYDAY TO CONTRIBUTE TO THE BILLS, HELP PAY FOR FOOD AND HELP PAY FOR THE MORTGAGE. WELL EVEN SQUIRRELS DO THAT. HE’S RIGHT, BUT HE’S WRONG. BEING A FATHER ENTAILS SO MUCH MORE THAN DOING A DUTY, IT INCLUDES LOVE AND CARE AND NURTURE. THINGS THAT VERSE 8 GETS TO.

APPLICATION: AND SO IT IS WITH GOD…PAYING YOUR TITHES, ATTENDING CHURCH AND SITTING IN GROWTH GROUPS ARE GOOD, IT’S VERSES 6-7 STUFF, BUT IF YOU DON’T HAVE VERSE 8 YOURS IS AN UNBALANCED AND INCOMPLETE FAITH…WE NEED BOTH.

ACTIVE JUSTICE- VERSE 8

THE ABC’S OF THE GOOD LIFE

SYLLABUS ILLUSTRATION: IT SHOWED ME WHAT THE PROFESSOR REQUIRED. VERSE 8 IS GOD’S SYLLABUS FOR THE CHRISTIAN LIFE. QUOTE ABOUT THE LIBRARY OF CONGRESS ROOM. THIS IS THE HEART AND SOUL OF IT!

EXPLANATION: WE ARE CALLED TO DO JUSTICE. WHAT IS JUSTICE? IT IS THE CALL FOR RESPONSIBILITY TOWARDS THE WEAKER MEMBERS OF SOCIETY. IT IS DISADVANTAGING YOURSELF FOR THE ADVANTAGE OF OTHERS. THIS VERSE WAS IN JESUS’ MIND IN …OVER 2350 VERSES IN THE BIBLE THAT TALKS ABOUT GOD’S INCREDIBLE HEART FOR THOSE ON THE OUTSKIRTS OF SOCIETY.

ILLUSTRATION OF MLK IN THE BIRMINGHAM JAIL AND THE NEWSPAPER ARTICLE APPEALING FOR HIM TO JUST TAKE IT EASY. HIS QUOTE.

APPLICATION: IF YOU DON’T HAVE BOTH, IF YOU ONLY HAVE AN INDOOR RELIGION YOU WILL END UP HAVING A GOOD LUCK CHARM GOD YOU APPROACH TO BLESS YOUR OUTDOOR LIFE LIVED INDEPENDENTLY

APPLICATION: CAN’T DO THIS WITHOUT MARGIN. THINK OF THE MARGIN OF THE GOOD SAMARITAN. WILLIAM WILBERFORCE CAREFULLY DOCUMENTED ALL OF HIS SPENDING SO HE WOULD HAVE MARGIN TO GIVE AWAY.

A BONDED LOVE- VERSE 8

EXPLANATION: JUSTICE DOESN’T WORK WITHOUT LOVE. CORNEL WEST SAYS THAT JUSTICE IS WHAT LOVE LOOKS LIKE IN PUBLIC. LOVE IS HESED. INTERESTING WORD. COVENANTAL TERM WHICH MEANS A LOVE THAT NEVER FAILS. IT IS A LOVE THAT LATCHES ONTO SOMEONE AND REFUSES TO EASE IT’S GRIP. THIS KIND OF LOVE SAYS WE ARE CONNECTED AND THAT’S THAT!

GOSPEL ILLUSTRATION: HESED IS MOST LINKED TO GOD’S RELATIONSHIP WITH US…HIS PERFORMANCE FREE LOVE. HE NEVER LET’S GO OF US. SO IT IS WITH OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH OTHERS.

CHALLENGE: RAMPANT INDIVIDUALISM. WE HAVE TO ATTACK THAT.

KING QUOTE: AN INESCAPABLE NETWORK OF MUTUALITY.

RICHARD ALLEN ILLUSTRATION: KICKED OUT OF MULTIETHNIC CHURCH BY WHITES. STARTS AME CHURCH. YELLOW FEVER HITS. WHITES ASKED HIM TO GATHER AA’S TO HELP THE SICK SINCE IT WAS THOUGHT THEY COULDN’T GET IT. AND LOW AND BEHOLD HE DOES. QUOTE ON LOVE...

APPLICATION: FRIEND WHO SOLD HIS HOUSE TO PAY FOR DAUGHTERS REHAB…WHATEVER IT TAKES TO GET YOU IN A GOOD PLACE. THAT’S LOVE. SOLD THEIR POSSESSIONS. WE ARE CONNECTED.

A CAREFUL WALK-

EXPLANATION: THE ABC’S OF THE GOOD LIFE. A CAREFUL WALK. “AND TO WALK HUMBLY WITH YOUR GOD”. THIS SPEAKS OF A LIFE LIVED IN SUBMISSION TO GOD. A KIND OF LIFE. IN ALL OUR WAYS ACKNOWLEDGE HIM.

CHALLENGE: A LOT HAS BEEN MADE OVER THE ISSUE OF JUSTICE, AND ESPECIALLY THE PHRASE SOCIAL JUSTICE. TERM HAS BEEN POLITICIZED AND IS OFTEN REFERRED TO OUR FRIENDS ON THE LEFT. BUT THIS PHRASE “TO WALK HUMBLY” HELPS US TO UNDERSTAND TRUE JUSTICE. TO WALK HUMBLY IS THE IDEA OF RIGHTEOUSNESS, OF MORAL UPRIGHTNESS. IT’S THE PICTURE OF A PERSON GOING TO WAR WITH SIN AND LIVING IN SUBMISSION TO GOD. JUSTICE IS ATTACHED TO THIS. HERE IS WHERE IT’S DIFFERENT FROM THE WORLD. THERE ARE A LOT OF IMMORAL PEOPLE LIVING IN SIN DOING ACTS OF “JUSTICE”. AND THERE ARE A LOT OF PEOPLE WHO CLAIM TO WALK WITH GOD BUT DO NOTHING FOR THE MARGINALIZED. TO BE A CHRISTIAN IS TO DO BOTH!

IMAGE OF THE CROSS AND ITS TWO BEAMS…VERTICAL IS TO WALK HUMBLY WITH GOD. HORIZONTAL IS HOW WE TREAT OTHERS. GREAT COMMANDMENT. LOVE GOD WHOM YOU CAN’T SEE…ETC...

MALCOLM X ILLUSTRATION: RECRUITED OUTSIDE THE CHURCH. YA’LL BEEN IN CHURCH FOR HOURS AND NOTHING IN YOUR COMMUNITY CHANGED. A STINGING INDICTMENT WITH A LOT OF TRUTH TO IT. BUT CHANGE DID COME AND IT DIDN’T COME THROUGH THE NATION OF ISLAM, BUT A BAND OF BELIEVERS SINGING HYMNS AND HEARING THE WORD OF GOD PREACHED, AND MARCHING IN THE STREETS ACCORDING TO THE PRINCIPLE OF LOVE. WHICH HAD THE GREATER IMPACT? THE LATTER!

TOOTHBRUSH ILLUSTRATION