DON'T. BE. CLYDE. - Casual Clyde

Last week we introduced Clyde to you.

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If you weren’t here or just need a refresher,

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Clyde is a Christian with a problem…

It’s a problem not even Clyde is aware of…

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Although Clyde is never late to a Bible Study,

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And is in church every week…

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Clyde isn’t growing.

From the outside, he looks like a model Christian.

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Everyone who knows him would say he’s a devout believer.

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But if you can peak inside his heart, it tells a different story.

Last week we focused on how Clyde managed to hide behind cultural awareness.

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He knew the church culture, and spoke the right words,

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And led people – even himself – to believe that he was solid in Christ.

But unfortunately, his growth has stagnated…

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This week, we’re going to look at Casual Clyde…

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And focus on how casual Clyde’s commitment to Jesus is…

And just like last week – we’re not here to be judgmental…

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Clyde has work to do – and we want to help him.

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We want him to grow…

And also like last week… we want to grow, too…

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And by looking at Clyde, maybe we can identify some of the things taking place in us…

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Maybe we’re too casual at times, too…

Going to read from Joshua 7…

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Context: Israel is sweeping through the promised land,

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Battling its current occupants…

God has declared that they are not to take the spoils of war…

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They’re cleansing the land, not plundering it.

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Anything acquired in war is to be devoted to God.

Joshua 7 NIV

But the Israelites were unfaithful in regard to the devoted things; Achan son of Karmi, the son of Zimri, the son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, took some of them. So the Lord’s anger burned against Israel. Now Joshua sent men from Jericho to Ai, which is near Beth Aven to the east of Bethel, and told them, “Go up and spy out the region.” So the men went up and spied out Ai. When they returned to Joshua, they said, “Not all the army will have to go up against Ai. Send two or three thousand men to take it and do not weary the whole army, for only a few people live there.” So about three thousand went up; but they were routed by the men of Ai, who killed about thirty-six of them. They chased the Israelites from the city gate as far as the stone quarries and struck them down on the slopes. At this the hearts of the people melted in fear and became like water. Then Joshua tore his clothes and fell facedown to the ground before the ark of the Lord, remaining there till evening. The elders of Israel did the same, and sprinkled dust on their heads. And Joshua said, “Alas, Sovereign Lord, why did you ever bring this people across the Jordan to deliver us into the hands of the Amorites to destroy us? If only we had been content to stay on the other side of the Jordan! Pardon your servant, Lord. What can I say, now that Israel has been routed by its enemies? The Canaanites and the other people of the country will hear about this and they will surround us and wipe out our name from the earth. What then will you do for your own great name?” The Lord said to Joshua, “Stand up! What are you doing down on your face? Israel has sinned; they have violated my covenant, which I commanded them to keep. They have taken some of the devoted things; they have stolen, they have lied, they have put them with their own possessions. That is why the Israelites cannot stand against their enemies; they turn their backs and run because they have been made liable to destruction. I will not be with you anymore unless you destroy whatever among you is devoted to destruction. “Go, consecrate the people. Tell them, ‘Consecrate yourselves in preparation for tomorrow; for this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: There are devoted things among you, Israel. You cannot stand against your enemies until you remove them. “ ‘In the morning, present yourselves tribe by tribe. The tribe the Lord chooses shall come forward clan by clan; the clan the Lord chooses shall come forward family by family; and the family the Lord chooses shall come forward man by man. Whoever is caught with the devoted things shall be destroyed by fire, along with all that belongs to him. He has violated the covenant of the Lord and has done an outrageous thing in Israel!’ ” Early the next morning Joshua had Israel come forward by tribes, and Judah was chosen. The clans of Judah came forward, and the Zerahites were chosen. He had the clan of the Zerahites come forward by families, and Zimri was chosen. Joshua had his family come forward man by man, and Achan son of Karmi, the son of Zimri, the son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, was chosen. Then Joshua said to Achan, “My son, give glory to the Lord, the God of Israel, and honor him. Tell me what you have done; do not hide it from me.” Achan replied, “It is true! I have sinned against the Lord, the God of Israel. This is what I have done: When I saw in the plunder a beautiful robe from Babylonia, two hundred shekels of silver and a bar of gold weighing fifty shekels, I coveted them and took them. They are hidden in the ground inside my tent, with the silver underneath.” So Joshua sent messengers, and they ran to the tent, and there it was, hidden in his tent, with the silver underneath. They took the things from the tent, brought them to Joshua and all the Israelites and spread them out before the Lord. Then Joshua, together with all Israel, took Achan son of Zerah, the silver, the robe, the gold bar, his sons and daughters, his cattle, donkeys and sheep, his tent and all that he had, to the Valley of Achor. Joshua said, “Why have you brought this trouble on us? The Lord will bring trouble on you today.” Then all Israel stoned him, and after they had stoned the rest, they burned them. Over Achan they heaped up a large pile of rocks, which remains to this day. Then the Lord turned from his fierce anger. Therefore that place has been called the Valley of Achor ever since.

Let’s start with Clyde – then we’ll move to Achan.

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There are many things that can be hidden under a good veneer.

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Clyde is all veneer… but under the veneer, there’s not much substance.

Clyde knows that there are things that Christians should and should not do…

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They should go to church on Sundays. Clyde does that.

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They should use language that honors God. Clyde does that…

During worship, Clyde sings out.

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During Bible study, Clyde answers questions.

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During prayer, Clyde bows his head…

But when his faith gets costly…

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When he has to deny himself…

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Clyde is suddenly less committed.

For example… Clyde isn’t such a fan of tithing.

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Generosity was never really his thing…

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And others pick up the slack… so why should he be inconvenienced?

Clyde listens to Jesus when it’s convenient.

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He loves his neighbors…

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But of course, his neighbors are pretty lovable.

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Loving his enemies… He isn’t so good at that.

Jesus says “when someone strikes you, turn the other cheek.”

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That never made sense to Clyde. <Why?>

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Makes more sense to hit them hard enough that they remember it next time.

Sometimes Jesus makes sense…

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Clyde follows him then.

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Sometimes Jesus’ instructions are hard…

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And Clyde finds alternatives…

He’s a master of justifying himself…

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It isn’t sin if there’s a good explanation…

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Jesus didn’t live in 2020, after all…

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No one in his church knows these things, of course…

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He understands how it works… some things you keep to yourself.

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He wouldn’t discuss his internet browsing habits…

And he’ll only discuss the PG-13 or lower moves he watches…

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Remember, Clyde understands the culture of the church…

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He knows how to present himself. And the church makes that easy.

Clyde’s commitment is what you might call… convenient.

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He follows Jesus really close when it’s convenient… not demanding.

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But he’s not really up for the hard stuff…

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When things get costly/inconvenient, he finds alternatives…

Now with that in mind, let’s take a look at Achan…

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A member of Israel…

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Fighting alongside Israel’s army…

When it comes to combat, Achan seems committed.

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He does all the things a normal Israelite would do…

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When they move, he moves…

When they take up their tents, he takes up his tent.

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When they put down their tents in a new spot, he…

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When they fast, he fasts.

When there are festivals, he celebrates festivals.

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He knows how to fit in around Israel…

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But he isn’t always quite on board with everything.

There are some things that should be different, he thinks.

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Why waste all that good plunder, for example.

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Leaving weapons, gold, silver, clothing…

They just abandon valuable things…

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Things that could benefit a nomadic people,

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Especially when they go to the promised land.

Shouldn’t they prepare for their eventual home?

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Won’t it be nice to have valuable things when they arrive?

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Why should they possibly leave it all behind?

Achan knew how to blend into the crowd,

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And he knew how to fit in among the Israelites,

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But he wasn’t exactly committed to their God…

At least, not as committed to God as to himself.

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His commitment was what you might call… casual.

So when he came across something he wanted…

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It was easy to say yes to himself and no to God…

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He took the robe and the gold for himself.

Saying no would have been costly.

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He wouldn’t have gotten what he wanted.

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But saying yes to himself was easy.

And just like Clyde’s internet history,

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And the adult movies he watches…

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Achan doesn’t put his casual commitment on display.

He hides the gold and robe under his tent,

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Where he can have the best of both worlds…

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Remaining in the community / having what he wants.

There’s just one problem…

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Just because it’s hidden doesn’t mean it is free of consequence.

Because as Joshua 7 tells,

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The next time Israel went to battle, they had to retreat.

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They were fighting by their own power…

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God was not with them.

See… this wasn’t just Achan’s problem…

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Achan’s problem became the community’s problem.

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Just as Clyde’s problem is the church’s problem.

What happens when the church places trust in Clyde?

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On the outside, everything looks right. What we’d want in a church leader.

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On the inside… we don’t find dedication.

I keep saying “casual commitment,”

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But the word “commitment” doesn’t really fit, does it?

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Casual relationship, maybe…

Today is a Christian Holiday known as All Saints Day.

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It’s a holiday recognized by many traditions, including CotN…

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Celebrate and remember the devoted saints of the church…

So it is appropriate for us, today, to think of those who have gone before us…

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The former Grand Ledge Nazarenes who poured themselves into this church.

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Who sacrificed and allowed themselves to be inconvenienced.

Who pledged their time, resources, energy,

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To building, to teaching, to discipling.

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They poured themselves out in many of you…

Many of you know their names and have fond memories…

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You can point to things around the church that they purchased or built.

You remember the things they taught you. Ways they prayed for you.

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You remember their generous and sacrificial spirit.

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And you know that today’s blessings are the work of yesterday’s devotion.

Which is why what we see in Clyde is so problematic…

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Because Clyde’s casual commitment represents the end of a good thing.

When members of a church become committed to themselves rather than God,

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The work of the church either falls more heavily on fewer people,

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Or it ceases to be done at all…

Achan’s lack of commitment affected his whole community…

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And unfortunately, so will Clyde’s.

In Lakeville, NY, in the 1980’s, there was a popular bar…

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Sand volleyball court outside it. Flowing beer taps…

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Smoke pouring out the windows…

A group of three women, whose sons and husbands were lost to that bar,

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Began to follow them to the bar every Friday night.

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And they would sit in their cars outside it and pray.

Every Friday night.

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“Lord, have your way with this place.

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Bind the devil and deliver the men in our lives from their addictions.”

I learned that story one night when I was in that bar.

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I was tearing up the floors, because we were remodeling it…

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The bar had been closed for 20 years, and we were putting a church in.

And when I answered the door, two of the three women were standing there.

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They wanted to know… “Is this really going to be a church?”

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And they cried as they told me the story of their prayers.

They gave up every Friday night…

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to sit in a parking lot outside a smokey bar filled with loud, drunk people…

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and pray for the people inside.

Achan didn’t have that kind of commitment.

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Clyde doesn’t have that kind of commitment…

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Do you have that kind of commitment? Willing to sacrifice?

What kind of church do you want your children or grandchildren to inherit?

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What kind of community and what kind of world?

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And what kinds of sacrifices are we willing to make in order for that to happen?

But also… In addition to thinking about our children and grandchildren,

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Can we think about Clyde?

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How can we invite Clyde to take the next step?

To surrender what needs to be surrendered?

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To commit what needs to be committed?

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And to step out in faith and obedience, to grow and mature in Christ?

Who is going to walk by Clyde?

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Who is going to invite him to see that a life committed to Jesus is better than any sort of casual faith?

Who is going to show him that whatever sacrifices are made,

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The rewards are greater? That participating in God’s kingdom,

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And serving God and others, are both the sacrifice and the reward?

Who do you have that relationship with?

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Who are you discipling?

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Who are you helping to see a better way?

A casual faith just isn’t a faith that works…

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And Clyde is missing out.

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Who is going to show Clyde a better way?

Praise God – we have no intention of stoning him, right?

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Because we learn something in Jesus…

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That Clyde’s sin isn’t a contagion that has to be eliminated…

When Achan sinned, Israel was afraid of being infected, stoned him.

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But what did Jesus do when he encountered contagion?

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Think of the lepers… he reached out, touched them, and healed them.

Jesus’ holiness is contagious –

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And his followers’ holiness is contagious…

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And we want Clyde to catch it.

Who is going to be there for Clyde?

I’m not sure where you find yourself this morning…

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Maybe you see something of Clyde in you,

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Or maybe your heart breaks for Clyde…

Maybe God wants to do something new in you,

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Or maybe he wants to do something new through you.

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However the HS is speaking – let’s respond together in prayer.