Enemies of the Cross

Enemies of the Cross Philippians 3:17-4:1 Last week we talked about the battle waging in this world between the Kingdom of God and the evil intentions of the Adversary, the enemy of the cross. But the devil is not alone as Paul refers to the enemies of the cross. The enemies of the cross are ways of thinking, that we may all have had at one time or another that lead us astray from Jesus. It is a choice as to who we follow, for each of us. It is about choice and change; which to make and what to keep. When all about us is change, there are still some things that remain the same. In Indiana, a frustrated taxpayer (yes, it is tax time) noticed the following sign on a bureaucrat's desk in the county office building: "We Don't Make Change." With tongue in cheek, we can smile at all that may mean. One thing we don’t do well is change. I remember in my seminary days we were told never to go into a church and say you want to make changes; it was a death knell. What one might better say is that you want to help the church to grow. That would be welcomed and not a threatening statement. Churches want to grow, but they don’t want to change all that much. We resist change or making changes, and the more set our routines of life become, the more we don't want to change. I am finding in my own life, that as I get older, it is easier to get in the habit of defending positions rather than making discoveries. Sigmund Freud wrote, "I have examined myself thoroughly and have come to the conclusion that I do not need to change much." How many of us would agree? All of us know that “life is change." If one stands still, life will pass you by. Because life is change, nothing ever stays the same. But are not some things unchanging? Is there nothing immutable, absolute, and not able to be forfeited? Lyle Schaller, one of Cokesbury's best-selling authors and UM consultants in the past, asked: "What is the number one issue facing Christian organizations on the North American continent? Dwindling numbers? Money? Social justice? Leadership? Television? Sexuality?" After three decades of study, this is his conclusion: “The number one issue facing Christian organizations is the need to initiate and implement planned change from within.” Still, not all innovation is good. Change can be good or bad. My son kids me about going to seminary in the years BC, before computers. Computers are good. On the other hand, cancer cells are cells that change, radically, but not for the good. Change can be divine or diabolical. Paul's pleading to the Philippians to "imitate me" demonstrates just how well he knew that the sword of change is double-edged. Paul was severely changing their culture as the church was being formed and founded. 2 He challenged both the pagan lifestyles of the Gentiles and the law-fixated actions of the Jews. But all of the changes, with which people were experimenting, were not for the good. Some changes led them so far from the message and ministry of Christ that they were transformed into "enemies of the cross," Paul says. The church must not come down with what is call the "Trendies," for if it does, it will get the disease diagnosed as "trendinitis," that is, trying any new thing that comes along that may help a struggling church. There is a vast difference between trailblazing and trend-setting. Today, our beloved church seeks to end the struggles of her past and will ask us in the near future whether we want to honor tradition with relevance for today or just go with the latest trend. Ideas and concepts that appear so reasonable and logical on the outside can disguise their diabolical intentions. For example, the devil or the adversary of God personified would deceive us into believing three things. Number one is: Keep Looking. Nothing's Written in Stone. How powerful is this concept’s appeal! We live in a world where people don't want anything written in stone. We lived in a world, before COVID, and will return to that world, afterwards, where people prefer preferences, more so than principles. Yet, some things are written in stone! Believing "anything goes" gets us into a lot of trouble. “Whatever's right for you" is often found out to be not so right for so many others. There are some absolute values! A group of cotton farmers were sitting around a potbelly stove discussing religion. The discussion quickly turned into a debate over the merits of the farmers' respective religions. After much arguing, the group turned to the eldest among them, who had remained silent during the discussion. They asked him, "Hey Gramps, who is right? Which religion is the right one?" "Well," said Gramps thoughtfully, "you know there are three ways to get from here to the cotton gin. You can go right over the big hill. That's shorter, but it's a powerful climb. You can go around the east side of the hill. That's not too far, but the road is rougher than tarnation. Or you can go around the west side of the hill, which is the long way but the easiest. But you know ... when you get there the gin man don't ask you how you came. He just asks, 'How is your cotton?'" What’s the moral of the story? Well, you can go this way or that way, you can take the hard road or a short cut, but what matters, in the story, is, how good is the product of your life and what did you have to sacrifice to get there. But is that the whole truth, the full measure of one’s life? Or, is there more to life than making choices that get you ahead? 3 Some friends were talking one day and one asked the others, "How much money do you earn?" He was a little competitive in his day and it seemed to him the best way of comparing progress in life. He was an oil executive while some of his buddies were bustling bankers and others exhausted young doctors. One friend replied, "Enough." "What do you mean - enough?" he asked. "What I said - enough. I figure out how much I need, and that's what I make sure I earn. Why bother to make more?” Then this friend turned to the first one and asked, “How much sugar do you buy in a year?" "I have no idea," he said. "Well, I bet there's always sugar in your house when you need it. Money is like sugar, no point in hoarding it; it usually goes to waste, or you have to make a lot of unnecessary cakes to use it up." "Crazy man," the first friend thought; but as he grew older, he realized the good sense his friend had. He was never rich but, as he said, "There was always sugar in the house," and he seemed much less harassed and much less stressed and more at peace than the rest of us.” Then, he knew what he wanted out of life. He wanted that peace. The devil says: "Keep looking." Looking, looking, looking. Jesus says: "Keep looking up." The second idea that may lead us astray is: Keep Up. A century ago there was a comic strip entitle “Keeping up with the Joneses,” to show that one is as good as other people by getting what they have and doing what they do if they seem better off than you. People trying to keep up with the Joneses felt they needed to buy expensive cars and clothes that they couldn’t afford. When I was a boy and even into my adulthood, I remember that envy to want more, probably because we didn’t have a whole lot. As one ages though, you come to appreciate the simpler things of life, especially the non-material things, like time with friends and loved ones, quiet moments with God, a good book, a really good cup of coffee, a sunrise or sunset, deer in a field, puppies romping in the grass, a good day’s work and a hearty meal to enjoy. Christianity is not a religion of "keeping up." Christianity is not a religion of celebrity. Christianity is a religion of integrity. The devil's fundamental rule is this: "It doesn't matter what you are, it only matters what people think you are." The devil says: "Keep up." Jesus says: "Keep on." Keep on your journey of faith, keep on giving, keep on being faithful, keep on helping the less fortunate, keep on praying and believing and fighting the good fight of faith. 4 The third notion the devil would have us believe is: Keep Your Options Open. What the devil means by this is that you've got the right to choose, and to choose without commitment. Cover all your bases. In a classic 1994 "Dear Abby" letter, one woman wrote: “Dear Abby, I am 45 years old, financially comfortable and would like to get married. I would like to meet a man, about my age, who enjoys going to church. I belong to the First Methodist Church, Blessed Angels Catholic Church and the Mount Zion Jewish Temple. I also attend the Christian Science Church regularly, but I do take aspirin occasionally. Can you please help me find a man of good character who is interested in marriage and belongs to any of the above-mentioned places of worship? A moderate cigarette smoker is OK, but please, no beer drinkers.” –Victoria I don’t know what Dear Abby said, probably something like, “Make up your mind.” This is a choice culture. We expect society to give us choices. Go to Lowe’s and see how many shades of white paint alone there are… In fact, we have come to believe that what society owes us is choice; school choice, personal choice, religious choice, gender choice… But is choice a virtue? Choice is not a value system. Choice is not a reason for living. The Bible does not say, "and now abides faith, hope, love and choice, but the greatest of these" is ... choice. No, as Christians, we live to love, we live to serve, we don't live to make choices, other than the choice to follow Jesus with all our heart and mind and strength and soul. The whole notion of "choice" language is a smoke screen to get us away from dealing with "sin." You and I have been given the most amazing power in the universe: the power to choose, the power to become. Now we can choose to become in one of two directions: we have the power to become sinful and indulgent; or we have the power to become good and do right. The devil says: "Keep your options open." Jesus says: "Keep the faith." As we enter into the Lenten season, I don’t know of a better or more simply encouragement than to Keep looking up; Keep on the path; and Keep the Faith. Stay true. Live as a defender of the cross. Keep believing and be at peace.