Uncomfortable, Embrace the discomfort

Embrace the Discomfort

INTRO: Uncomfortable: The Awkward and Essential Challenge of Christian Community

Uncomfortable: The Awkward and Essential Challenge of Christian Community

A. Big Idea of the Series: American culture is a culture of comfort.

It’s being sold to us everywhere we look. We’re encouraged to do what we want, when we want, with whomever we want. If something is uncomfortable, we want to avoid it at all costs.

The Christian faith, though, is just that: uncomfortable

If something is uncomfortable, we want to avoid it at all costs. The Christian faith, though, is just that: uncomfortable. This four-week series, based on Uncomfortable by Brett McCracken, will help people embrace, understand, and see the beauty and hope in the challenging realities of being part of God’s people. During this series, pastors are encouraged to work through Uncomfortable with their congregation (and in small groups).

B. This four-week series, based on Uncomfortable by Brett McCracken,

It will help usembrace, understand, and see the beauty and hope in the challenging realities of being part of God’s people.

I encouraged to work through Uncomfortable. Maybe give it 5 min in your life groups.

>>> In as culture of consumerism we need a fresh perspective on what the church is and our roll in it. Around valentines day we usually teach a relationship series. How to get along with your family and love ones. This is a relationship series its just a little different. It is a series about your relationships here in our church community. What does Jesus expect from you here with all these other people. We know what you expect of others. Nursery workers, good music, doughnuts, clean bathrooms a good sermon. Those are the things we are looking for. What does God expect of you who come here to worship? Big Idea of the Message: The Christian life—especially when it comes to being part of a church community—is full of discomfort and awkwardness, but God uses these challenges to help us know him better.

-

Week 1

Text: , ;

I. Your Dream church

Topic: Church, Commitment, Sacrifice, Community

Introduction: On pages 16–22 of Uncomfortable, Brett McCracken describes what his dream church would be like. He has a specific vision for his ideal church’s architecture, membership requirements, worship style, community life, and more. The church where he currently attends and serves as an elder, however, looks almost nothing like the church he describes.

A. What is your dream church? What does it look like?

Parking out front . You can see from the road.

It has a soccer fields for the community.

A garden we all share and work in.

solar panels on the roof and a good size windmill for power.

cathedral like, but modern at the same time. Practical and beautiful

Inside the worship center has great accoustics

The seats are comfortable but not cramped

the doughnuts are maple sticks with bacon and snicker doodles

AIR CONDITIONING IN SUMMER

B. Ministry

All church members would be involved

feeding and clothing the poor

Tutor facilities for the community

24 hour prayer

The lobby a place for local artist to display and sell their work

time before service for musicians to play for the community

Work out facilities and showers for the homeless

C. Theology

Elder led with very little staff.

All volunteers.

Preaching from great speakers

Time for prayer and conversion every Sunday. Planned and spontaneous baptism like we just had.

D. Sunday worship would last all day

we would fellowship and break bread

Play together in the gym watch football with nfl ticket.

Tea and scones on the roof, lawn bowling in front and croquet in the back.

In the evening there would be a fireplace and fireplace readings

D. Discipleship

Every age group would have their own volunteer teachers staffed from Christians that were professors at the local college.

Great teachers would come and teach each group personally and through simulcast.

>>> I can go on and on. Doesn’t sound great! The reality is that church can be pretty awkward. Ever indured a bad sermon or singer. What about the needy person that is always waiting at the door for you. Actually it seems following Jesus often leads us into uncomfortable and awkward situations? What does the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus tell us about embracing the challenge of living in Christian community?

We all have one, and there’s a good chance the church you’re in now doesn’t check all the boxes on your list. This is the focus of our new four-week series “Uncomfortable”—based on McCracken’s book. What are we to make of the fact that following Jesus often leads us into uncomfortable and awkward situations? What does the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus tell us about embracing the challenge of living in Christian community?

II. Church Is Not about Your Preferences; It's about Knowing God

1 Peter 2:4–5 NLT

4 You are coming to Christ, who is the living cornerstone of God’s temple. He was rejected by people, but he was chosen by God for great honor. 5 And you are living stones that God is building into his spiritual temple. What’s more, you are his holy priests. Through the mediation of Jesus Christ, you offer spiritual sacrifices that please God.

1 Peter 2:9 NLT

9 But you are not like that, for you are a chosen people. You are royal priests, a holy nation, God’s very own possession. As a result, you can show others the goodness of God, for he called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light.

A. The chosen

Explanation: Peter, while writing to various churches that are experiencing forms of persecution, shares what it means to be the chosen people of God. Just like Jesus was “the living Stone—rejected by humans but chosen by God and precious to him” (v. 4), Christians are called to be “living stones” that are “being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ” (v. 5).

Peter, while writing to various churches that are experiencing forms of persecution, shares what it means to be the chosen people of God. Just like Jesus was “the living Stone—rejected by humans but chosen by God and precious to him” (v. 4), Christians are called to be “living stones” that are “being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ” (v. 5).

Peter, while writing to various churches that are experiencing forms of persecution, shares what it means to be the chosen people of God.

Just like Jesus was “the living Stone—rejected by humans but chosen by God and precious to him” (v. 4), Christians are called to be “living stones” that are “being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ” (v. 5).

When people say, you are the church, it is a very real reality.

Fire and fire

B. Peter is presenting an image of a community that is focused entirely on Jesus.

It’s a community that puts aside preferences, quarrels, and comfort zones for the sake of becoming “living stones.”

The entire purpose of this community, this “holy nation,” is to “declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light” (v. 9).

It’s all about knowing God and worshipping him as king.

This is contradictory to a consumerist approach to Christian community, which places our personal desires for what church should be like on the throne and tempts us to walk away from communities that don’t meet all our standards.

The reality, of course, is that the “dream church” we long for is a myth. It doesn’t exist. The reign of King Jesus, however, is real and eternal, and becoming “living stones” that are “acceptable to God” should be our ultimate aim.

Illustration: “If I had never joined a church till I had found one that was perfect, I should never have joined one at all, and the moment I did join it, if I had found one, I should have spoiled it, for it would not have been a perfect church after I had become a member of it. Still, imperfect as it is, it is the dearest place on earth to us. All who have first given themselves to the Lord, should, as speedily as possible, give themselves to the Lord’s people. … As I have already said, the church is faulty, but that is no excuse for your not joining it, if you are the Lord’s” Charles Spurgeon, “The Best Donation”

>>> Application: It’s easy to have a consumerist approach when it comes to committing to a church. Do I like the worship style? Is the preaching entertaining enough? Is that church down the street a better fit? But when we allow a market mindset to influence our spiritual lives, our faith can become less about knowing and serving God, and more about finding a community that serves us and our desires. Rather than trying to form communities around our own preferences, we must allow ourselves to be formed by God and his people. Lets just state the reality, We are the stones that fit together as a place for God. God is’t building a place for you to come and worship. he is using us as the stones to build a place for Him to live in! Do you feel that?

III The Christian Life Is Supposed to Be Uncomfortable, so Embrace It

John 12:25 NLT

25 Those who love their life in this world will lose it. Those who care nothing for their life in this world will keep it for eternity.

A. Dying to ourselves

Explanation: While predicting his own death, Jesus tells the crowd that following him requires dying to ourselves (). These are challenging, countercultural, and seemingly not very comforting words! What he’s saying is that if you love the comforts of this life above all else, you’ll miss out on the comforts of eternal life in heaven. This life is not all there is, and we must live with that eternal perspective in mind.

While predicting his own death, Jesus tells the crowd that following him requires dying to ourselves

These are challenging, countercultural, and seemingly not very comforting instructions!

What he’s saying is that if you love the comforts of this life above all else, you’ll miss out on the comforts of eternal life in heaven. This life is not all there is, and we must live with that eternal perspective in mind.

I love hanging with Greg Brennan. Not much time goes by that he doesn’t remind you that in a little while we will be with the father. In a little while we will be home forever.

Matthew 16:24–26 NLT

24 Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me. 25 If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it. 26 And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul? Is anything worth more than your soul?

Illustration: McCracken writes, “Following Christ is not one’s golden ticket to a white-picket-fence American dream. It’s an invitation to die, to pick up a cross”

Illustration: McCracken writes, “Following Christ is not one’s golden ticket to a white-picket-fence American dream. It’s an invitation to die, to pick up a cross”

Similarly, C. S. Lewis writes, “I didn’t go to religion to make me happy. I always knew a bottle of Port would do that. If you want a religion to make you feel really comfortable, I certainly don’t recommend Christianity”

What McCracken and Lewis are both getting at is that it’s easy to find basic happiness and comfort, but living the Christian life and being part of a church community requires making sacrifices that will be uncomfortable

Ultimately this uncomfortable state will help us to become more like Jesus. It’s a trade-off that’s always worth it.

>>> Rather than attempting to find our dream church, we must embrace the uncomfortable and difficult parts of the Christian life in order to grow and experience gospel community.

>>> Rather than attempting to find our dream church, we must embrace the uncomfortable and difficult parts of the Christian life in order to grow and experience gospel community.

B. There is joy in denying yourself

We resent the fact that what is good for us is like broccoli

The things that are best for us seem to taste the worst.

Jesus tells us what it will cost to follow him: our lives.

We grow by leaving our comfort zones and entering into the challenges and discomforts of our faith. Instead of avoiding this truth, we should embrace it and press into the joy of dying to ourselves and living for God and neighbor.

What do we do? We know what we should do. We know what it will cost. So, we pour cheese on it

1 Peter 1:6–7 NLT

6 So be truly glad. There is wonderful joy ahead, even though you must endure many trials for a little while. 7 These trials will show that your faith is genuine. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold—though your faith is far more precious than mere gold. So when your faith remains strong through many trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world.

Sorrow may last through the night but Joy comes in the morning.

Being the living stone that Jesus builds His home in should be our Goal.

It will be uncomfortable. Embrace it! It comes with true Joy.

Conclusion: What if we gave up the “dream church”? What if we stopped trying to find fault with our Christian community and instead embraced the discomfort? In order to know God and be known by his people, we must reject the consumerist church-hunting mindset, lay our preferences down, enter into the awkwardness, and die to our own desires—just like Jesus did. We’ll dig into Jesus’s example next week. Today we need some confession time. We need to tell God this morning that we give up the idea that we need a community to worship Him but rather we embrace the idea of living stones. We will be a place together that he can come and Live!