A Different Drum

Introduction

Something changes drastically in 1865 - end of Civil War

Double drumming happened to cut down on cost/people

From there someone figured out you could add a pedal

Roughly same since 1909

Let me step back - Congo Square in early 1800’s - slaves had the day off after church

In most places, slaves could not speak African languages, keep African names or play African drums

But in Congo Square, slaves could gather and play drums, sing and dance

White people loved to come watch!

After Civil War, foreign immigrants brought other drums

Cymbals from Turkey, tom toms from China and blocks from Asian temples

Invented “shoes” with clapping cymbals to use feet

Then came low sock - similar to today

Then higher hi hat to hit with sticks too

This gave way to the birth of ragtime, and then jazz, then blues, then rock n’ roll!

Invention of a “different drum” changed the course of musical and really all of history

Similarly, Christians are called to march to the beat of a different drum too

YouVersion: A Different Drum

We’re in Ephesians 4:17-33

Ephesians 4:17 ESV

17 Now this I say and testify in the Lord, that you must no longer walk as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their minds.

A few things:

The old way

1. The old way doesn’t work

There’s a push for Christians to show we’re not so different

We also argue that the church needs to change with culture

We should change methods, but never the message

Think about changes we make based on gentile culture:

Scripture says “male and female,” but the world says we can change that so let’s celebrate...

Scripture says people go to hell, but the world doesn’t want to hear that so we’ll only talk about blessings...

Scripture says divorce is only for adultery or a leaving unbeliever, but the world says irreconcilable differences so we need to change our stance...

Scripture says we fight Spiritual battles, but the world leans on psychology so we’ll cut out the Spiritual stuff...

The Word of God is not meant to be bent towards our culture...

Our culture is meant to be bent around the Word of God...

But there’s something else we need to know: Christians should be better

We think forcing people to obey Scripture is good

Well, it’s not!

Unbelievers are going to look like unbelievers! We shouldn’t be suprised

We should want that to change, but you can’t change hearts by forcing people to obey

You want people to stop having affairs, drinking themselves to death, treating people poorly?

You don’t fix that with laws, you fix it by reaching their hearts

You fix it by showing them Jesus

If you’re going to show a better way, you’d better live a better way!

And realize that until they know jesus, they won’t desire a better way...

2. The old way leans on a flawed mind

What’s the problem with their mind?

It’s futile - Greek word mataiologos (my-tayo-logos)

Means futility, or idle talking, emptiness or frustrated

Our minds have polluted both the world and Christianity since the serpent told Eve she could be like God...

This is one of the biggest problems with humanity today:

We trust our own minds more than God

We doubt His word

We doubt the Spirit moving

We doubt the power of prayer

Think about it:

When we open the Scriptures and see something we don’t like, what do we do?

We would never just say, “Okay God, Your word is clear...”

We try to dig up fringy arguments to justify what God says

Or we try to explain away the Scripture into something more comfortable

You may notice I often pray before a message, “God, open our hearts and minds.”

That’s why! Because closed minded reading can do a lot of damage!

Paul describes this further:

Ephesians 4:18–19 ESV

18 They are darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, due to their hardness of heart. 19 They have become callous and have given themselves up to sensuality, greedy to practice every kind of impurity.

Illustration: Instrument rating and spacial disorientation

Flying over the desert and getting yelled at

That’s how John F. Kennedy Jr. died

Your brain lies to you

Even when buzzers and bells are going off, your instruments tell you what’s happening...

You still want to believe what you think and feel

All the way to your death

If you don’t have Christ guiding you, it’s easy to trust your own brain

3. The old way is dangerous

Again, you own hardened heart will lead you right to your death

By convincing you that the things that lead to death are a good idea

Things like sensuality, greed and impurity

I don’t know, these drugs feel pretty good!

I can’t control my feelings for that other woman!

I don’t feel that I should have to listen to my parents...

You see what our feelings do? Alienate us from life...

Watch Paul react to this:

Ephesians 4:20 ESV

20 But that is not the way you learned Christ!—

Like my flight instructor yelled at me: that is NOT what I taught you!

Look at your gauges and trust them!

Fly the plane!

Paul is saying to the Ephesians, “That is not the way you learned Christ! I taught you better, GOD taught you better!”

Ephesians 4:21–24 ESV

21 assuming that you have heard about him and were taught in him, as the truth is in Jesus, 22 to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, 23 and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, 24 and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.

We are to “put off’ that old self!

Illustration: Imagine you went to jail for 20 years

When you were released, would you still keep bars in your bedroom window?

Would you still wear handcuffs walking from room to room?

Would you still only go outside for 30 minutes a day?

NO!

When you stop BEING a prisoner, you stop ACTING like one!

What’s the first thing prisoners stop doing when they’re released

Take off the orange jumpsuit, put on regular clothing!

Just like you would put off that old jumpsuit, Christians put off the old man

Being a Christian isn’t about adding a little Jesus to your old life

It’s about breaking away from your old life and living a totally separate and brand new life!

4. Jesus isn’t an additive, He’s a whole new beginning

Let’s look at the new way

Ephesians 4:25 ESV

25 Therefore, having put away falsehood, let each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor, for we are members one of another.

The new way

I want to describe the new way for “followers”

The word Christian can be cheap - I’m a Christian, but not super religious

We’re talking about people who want to actually FOLLOW Jesus

Not just claim His name when it’s convenient

1. Followers value truth

George Braque: “Truth exists, only falsehood has to be invented.”

As Christians, we believe truth is not subjective

It can’t be “something is true for you, but not for me.”

Really? Is that TRUE…?

We believe God sets the standard for truth and we adhere to that - not the other way around

And so we are charged with sharing that truth and only the truth

That goes for everyone, but Paul is specifically still talking about the body - the Church

What happens if your hand touches a hot stove but tells the brain, no it’s cool...

You end up severely burned!

Likewise, as the body, we have to speak truth - even hard truth - for the betterment of each other and the body as a whole

Ephesians 4:26–27 ESV

26 Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, 27 and give no opportunity to the devil.

I’ve talked before about this idea of righteous anger

And usually it’s not real!

Why? Because it requires you to actually be righteous!

And so if we get angry, we are charged to NOT SIN

Something might make you angry, and you use that as an excuse to justify your behavior

She was having an affair so I shot her...

Maybe your anger is justified, but killing is still sin!

Something might make you understandably angry, but that does not justify sin!

Also, Paul says not to let the sun go down on your anger

2. Followers address their anger

If there is one marriage verse that will save marriages it’s this one

If every married person would insist on working on the days problems on the same day, things could be different

How often do I see married couples who can’t stand each other

And it all belongs to building up anger over years and years that finally explodes?

I just take it and don’t say anything, I’m showing grace

No you’re not! You’re saving it up for later when you can throw it in their face or justify a divorce or whatever...

TALK about it!

I can’t, I don’t like confrontation - that’s ridiculous!

You don’t like going to work either, but you do it!

You don’t like paying bills but you do it

You should ALWAYS make sure to sit down and talk about your problems before you go to sleep that day

Otherwise Satan will continue to use that against you

Ephesians 4:28 ESV

28 Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labor, doing honest work with his own hands, so that he may have something to share with anyone in need.

“Labor”is kopiao (cope-ee-yow) means to exert or work hard until weary

It is a Christian goal to not be a burden to others

Of course, sometimes we can’t help things we do not have an ability to do...

But excuses, laziness, getting other people to do your stuff you don’t have to - that’s not how a follower looks...

3. Followers are responsible

My dad always said “If being a garbage man is the best thing you can be, make sure you’re the best garbage man there ever was.”

Not sure why “garbage man” was viewed as the worst job - I think it’s actually a well paying job!

But still, you get the point

My dad was concerned more about my effort than my potential

Colossians 3:23–24 ESV

23 Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, 24 knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ.

God cares about your efforts

He’s not okay with people that just want to be leeches

Ephesians 4:29 ESV

29 Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.

This includes two basic functions of speech

1. Don’t speak in vulgarity

2. Don’t slander other people

Ask yourself a question:

Do you have a lot of enemies?

Don’t get along with your roommates, your parents, your kids, your boss, your friends, your neighbors?

Now ask this one:

How many other people know about your problems with those people?

Do you spend a lot of time gossiping about other people?

No, I’m just venting! No I’m looking for advice!

Okay, those are good -or at least acceptable - things in my opinion

BUT! If it’s venting, it should be to no more than one person...

If it’s for advice, do you walk away from those interactions with something to do different?

4. Followers are careful with their words

We should be careful, because words are powerful!

James 3:5–6 ESV

5 So also the tongue is a small member, yet it boasts of great things. How great a forest is set ablaze by such a small fire! 6 And the tongue is a fire, a world of unrighteousness. The tongue is set among our members, staining the whole body, setting on fire the entire course of life, and set on fire by hell.

Then he says this:

James 3:10–11 ESV

10 From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers, these things ought not to be so. 11 Does a spring pour forth from the same opening both fresh and salt water?

Handle your words like you’re carrying around nuclear launch codes

Ephesians 4:30 ESV

30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.

Think of grieving like someone grieving at a funeral

Sadly trying to cope with a loss of something painful and negative

When we ignore God and miss the mark, the HS grieves over us!

The Holy Spirit’s grief is not of a petty, oversensitive nature

It’s a valid response to the pain of sin

Chucky Spurgeon: “He is grieved with us mainly for our own sakes, for he knows what misery sin will cost us; he reads our sorrows in our sins... He grieves over us because he sees how much chastisement we incur, and how much communion we lose.”

5. Followers rely on the Holy Spirit

Followers don’t go around sinning willy-nilly

We know that our sin causes great pain to God

And the holy Spirit GRIEVES for that pain

As followers, that is one part of the equation that changes our walk

Paul kinda caps everything here:

Ephesians 4:31–32 ESV

31 Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. 32 Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.

All of these together gives us one final point:

6. Most importantly, followers look like Christ

This is the whole point of our Christian walk

1 Corinthians 11:1 ESV

1 Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ.

Next week, we’re going to look at this idea of imitation more deeply...

But you need to know how important this is

We don’t live to be bitter with people, we don’t live to be angry, or to gossip, or to cause pain to others.

Instead, we pursue kindness

We pursue tenderness

And we pursue forgiveness

Closing