THE GREAT DIVIDE - PART 3
“DOES MY DENOMINATIONAL BACKGROUND MATTER?”
JOHN 12:30-32 & 17:15-23
INTRODUCTION:
Have you ever said something, oh so carefully, lay out just how things were, and how they worked, and why they worked, and then sat back satisfied? Then you heard someone repeat what you’d said and you hardly recognized it, and your brain screamed, "That’s not what I meant!" Have you ever shared your heart with someone, pried out a tiny nugget of how you truly felt and told someone special and then stared in disbelief as they responded all wrong and your every pored shouted, “That’s not what I meant!”
When Jesus’ talked to the Father on our behalf, He prayed that we who would believe in His disciples message and be a unified people.. Jn. 17:20-21 “I am not praying just for these followers. I am also praying for everyone else who will have faith because of what my followers will say about me. I want all of them to be one with each other.”(CEV) But I can’t help but wonder when God sees all the different Churches, all the divisions, all the splits, if He’s not sighing, or whispering, or even hollering, "That’s not what I meant." As we continue in our series I want us to focus on the religious things that divide us that Jesus never wanted and more importantly, what we can do to bring peace and unity. The unity that Jesus prayed for. That process must start with me and with this church. How do we do that? The secret I think is in that one little verse from Jn 12:32 where Jesus says, “...when I am lifted up on the cross, I will draw everyone to myself.”(NLT) If we are going to cross the Great Divide of religious differences we must lift Jesus Christ above anyone and everything else. That means we must:
I. EXALT JESUS OVER OUR INDIVIDUAL BACKGROUNDS:
Exalt, or lift up Jesus over our individual backgrounds. We come from different religious roots and we must be very careful that we do not place our backgrounds above Christ. One of the wonderful things I love about Discovery is the fact that so many of us grew up in different backgrounds. We ask that question in Discovery 101 and it never ceases to amaze me. We have people from Catholic backgrounds, people who grew up in Baptist churches, we have Methodists, Presbyterians, people from non-instrumental Church of Christ’s, Mormons, Episcopalians, folks from the Church of God and our largest group: those that have very minimal or have no church background to speak of. And that’s great because Discovery has always been about being a place where all faith backgrounds are welcome.
But I thought it might be interesting to you, to tell you a little about my background. Because I grew up in a background that is very similar to the one you are attending. You see, I grew up in a Christian Church, much like this one. From the time I was young I learned the basics of what we call "The Restoration Movement." What is that? Well, it was started by men such as Barton W. Stone a Presbyterian, Thomas and Alexander Campbell, Baptists, Walter Scott who was a Catholic, James O’Kelly, a Methodist and others. These men in the late 1700’s & early 1800’s were discouraged by the denominational divisions that separated them. So they urged Christian people to forget their man made creeds, drop their denominational ties and restore the Church in the NT- in it’s beliefs, actions and unity. That’s why it was called “The Restoration Movement.”
I learned the Biblical emphasis of my background- I knew Acts 2:38 where Peter told people to repent and be baptized almost before I learned John 3:16. I could recite Acts 20:7 where the early Church met each Sunday to observe the Lord’s Supper. I learned that the NT taught the autonomy of the local Church. When I finally figured out what "autonomy" meant I found that every Church in the NT was independent - there were no denominational structures in Bible days. And I was confident that if Jesus ever came to our town he would pick our church to worship in, because we were the “right church.”
Sadly, in the early 1900’s, this movement which was intended to unify all believers divided. They split over whether or not to use an instrument to accompany singing in worship. Then years later there was another split. One group wanted all churches to cooperate with one mission organization. The other group wanted to remain independent & have each church choose their own missions. So there was another division and out of that division came The Disciples of Christ and churches like this one, Independent Christian Churches or non-denominational, that is Christian Churches who have no denominational headquarters.
Now, I’d like to ask those who grew up in a family that attended either the non-instrumental Church of Christ, the Disciples of Christ or Independent Christian Churches to raise your hands. Now, raise your hand if you’re from some other background than the restoration movement. That’s interesting because I estimate that only about ____% of our congregation identifies with this movement. One more question: How many of you have ever heard the restoration movement explained in as much detail as you did just now? That’s important! Because we don’t want to make a big deal over our heritage. We don’t want to win you to a movement, we simply, want to win you to Jesus Christ and be a church that exalts Him! Don’t misunderstand. I think the restoration movement is a beautiful concept. I love the simplistic message that says let’s just build a relationship with Jesus and follow Him. Just as I am convinced that democracy, with all of its problems, is the best government, I am also convinced that a Church with this simple, Bible based message is the best to call others to. That’s why I am a Pastor in the Christian Church.
But.. It is not essential, or even all that important that everyone know about the history of the restoration movement. What is crucial is that everyone know Jesus Christ! So, as a congregation we aren’t trying to win you to a movement or to a denomination. It’s ok to appreciate your heritage, to be thankful for the training of your youth. But let’s drop all denominational distinctions and just be Christians.
I need your cooperation for a moment: I want you to think about how you were raised, about your religious background. Let’s see how many different denominational groups we have represented here. I am going to call out a certain background and you call it out back to me. If I call out “Methodist” and you come from a Methodist background you say Methodist out loud, if you don’t have one or don’t know, when I say “don’t know” you repeat that. Okay, let’s try it: “Methodist- Baptist - Presbyterian- Episcopal- Catholic- Don’t know-Church of God- Lutheran- Christian Church. Now, I’m sure I’ve missed some, that’s okay. When I count to 3 I want you to call out your background regardless of what it is. 1-2-3. Isn’t that an awful sound? That is discord in the Church. But now when I say Jesus - I want you to say it back to me. Jesus - again - softer. What harmony. You see the source of unity is not a denomination or a background, it’s a person. "...when I am lifted up on the cross, I will draw everyone to myself."(NLT) It’s Jesus and what he has done for us that draws!
II. WE MUST EXALT JESUS OVER BAPTISM:
But sometimes it’s not a particular church but a particular religious emphasis that divides people. For example for some it’s the emphasis on the Mother Mary, for some it’s a belief that’s called predestination, for some it’s an emphasis on missions or miraculous gifts. And these emphasis’ can become divisive. Does our church have an emphasis that could be dangerous? Yes, for these kinds of churches, people might say our emphasis is on baptism. I couldn’t disagree with that because we do ask everyone who has not been baptized by immersion to do so. If you’ve been here any time at all you’ve probably seen a video of people being baptized. In fact one of the most common questions I get is “Why do we baptize by immersion?” Now, this is not a sermon on baptism. I want to encourage you, if you wonder about this to contact us. Even better sign up for Discovery 101. That class spends a complete hour or so on how we can respond to God’s offer of salvation. And probably 60% of that hour is spent on our Biblical view of Baptism. But here’s what I want to address today. We must make sure that baptism does not get more emphasis than Jesus. Because I believe our history will attest there was both a correct emphasis and error when teaching on Baptism.
As the early believers studied Scripture they realized that baptism had been a neglected teaching during the middle ages. They discovered that in the NT water baptism was for the believer, done by immersion (that is a person was submerged) & it occurred when a person surrendered themselves to Christ. A person believing in Christ would express that belief by repenting of their sin, confessing the name of Jesus with their mouth and be immersed into Christ. So they began to emphasize that truth and it was well received. But over the years & because of the neglect by others, a problem arose in some of our Churches. Baptism was over-emphasized. One way baptism becomes a source of division, is when preachers emphasize it so much that they neglect the condition of the heart. It leads to people being baptized for the wrong reasons.
{Video Clip: My Big Fat Greek Wedding - Start Chp.10:50:10 - End: Chp.10:52:27 = 2:17}
Now being baptized, dunked in water, no more grants you citizenship in heaven than it actually changed Ian biologically into Greek. And we don’t oil you up or dunk you three times and we certainly don’t want you to be baptized just to get married or make someone else happy. Baptism needs to be your submission to what Jesus has asked of you. It is your declaration that you believe that only Jesus saves you. I had a friend, a Police Officer that I worked with named Gary, who started coming to our services in Florida and he witnessed someone being baptized. Well, later he told me, "I liked this BUT I want you to know something from the start.. you’re not going to get me dunked!" I said, "I don’t want to get you dunked. I just want you to know Jesus." So, he got in a small group, started studying his Bible and about 4 weeks later he came up to me and said, "I’ve been reading the Bible and I’d like to be immersed for baptism." So I dunked him. His new relationship with Jesus Christ would of never happened if I had argued about baptism. His problem wasn’t baptism, it was understanding what Jesus asked of him. And when a person understands and totally submits to Jesus they say, "Whatever Jesus wants me to do, I’ll do it."
Now, where the real source of division comes is when the question, “When is a person saved?”comes into play. There are a number of groups that teach you are saved the moment you put your belief in Jesus Christ and then you are baptized later as an outward sign of what has happened to you inwardly. There are other groups that teach that you cannot be saved unless you are baptized, and so they baptize infants to make sure it gets done! They believe that an infant has inherited the guilt of all sin starting with Adam and Eve and so infants must be baptized or christened as soon as possible or they may go to Hell. Others believe that you are not saved until as a believer, you are immersed into Christ. That it is at the point of baptism where you actually receive Jesus’ forgiveness of sins.
Now, since these differences of opinion are so strong and can cause division, I think the safest thing to do is follow the pattern of the N.T. Water is always purest at its source so why not just do it like they did it when the apostles were doing it? They simply baptized people who had made their own decision and everyone celebrated. Instead of arguing over the point of salvation let’s just do everything Jesus asks of us and then rejoice in the new relationship.
I want you to look at the chart under II. B. I think it really helps in thinking through this issue. The top line represents the married life. A person is born and remains single for say 23 years, but then one day they get married and they begin the married life and it lasts hopefully the rest of their days and they die. But I want you to focus in on that one day when a couple gets married, their wedding day. Here’s a question for you. When during that day are they officially married? Would you raise your hand when you think the point comes when a couple is officially married. (1)Repeat vows.. (2) Preacher pronounces them husband and wife? (3)They kiss? (4)When the marriage license is officially signed? (5)The marriage is physically consummated? Obviously we have differing opinions. We’re not exactly sure. We just gather together and rejoice in the new relationship. You never hear an usher say, "If you think they are officially married whey they say the vows, you sit on the right.. if you think they are officially married when the license is signed, sit on the left, those of you who believe the marriage is official when it is consummated in the flesh sit in the front, we want to watch you!” No! We don’t divide over this, we just rejoice in the new relationship! Now all of it is good. They need to give their vows to each other. The kiss is symbolic. If I don’t pronounce them as married and sign the license I get in trouble with them and the law. And yes, God designed sex for marriage.
Now, the analogy to the Christian life should be pretty obvious. Look at the 2nd line. We are born, we sin and are lost. Then one day we give our life to Jesus. For some who are taught the pattern of the N.T., on that day, they believe and surrender to Jesus, they repent of their sins, they confess that they believe in Jesus and are baptized into Him. But for some, who have not heard or seen the N.T. pattern, they believe, repent, confess and then some time later learn that baptism as a believer by immersion is their Biblical best and so they do it then. Now... when were they saved? Did salvation happen the moment they believed? The moment they believed and repented? When the confessed His name? When they were baptized? I might have a surprise for you.. I’m not 100% exactly sure. There is no Scripture that tells us with absolute clarity at what point in that process God’s forgiveness is applied. You and I aren’t God and salvation is His deal. We may have our different interpretations about the precise “point of salvation” but only God knows for sure! We dare not argue and divide over this issue. What I want to encourage us to do is.. exalt Jesus! And we do that best by just doing everything that He has us to do and then we all rejoice when we witness someone wanting a complete relationship with Jesus Christ! Let’s do everything He says and then be sure we exalt Jesus over the act of baptism!
III. EXALT JESUS OVER INDIVIDUAL INTERPRETATION:
One more point. We must also exalt Jesus over our individual interpretations. The reason there is division here is because we often have a problem knowing the difference between what is essential and what is opinion. Can we not come to church and serve together without having to agree on every jot and title of interpretation? The truth is we are never going to agree on everything! Now, don’t misunderstand, truth is important. In John 17:17 Jesus says, “Your word is the truth.”(CEV) So where the Bible speaks we do not waver. One of the first things we did when we started Discovery was to come up with what we call “Our Position.” These are the things we have agreed are our “Essentials.” You can find them on our web site under “Who We Are” so let me just read them as you’ll see them there. These are the points where we refuse to compromise. (1) That the Scripture, both Old & New Testaments, is the inspired Word of God, without error in the original writings, the complete revelation of His will. .. and the Divine final authority for Christian faith and life. (2) In One God, Creator of all things, infinitely perfect and eternally existing in three persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. That He is all-powerful, all-knowing and all-present. (3) That Jesus is true God and true man, having been conceived of the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary. He died on the cross as the sacrifice for our sins, according to the Scriptures. Further, He arose bodily from the grave, ascended into heaven where, at the right hand of God the Father, He is now our High Priest and Mediator. (4) That the ministry of the Holy Spirit is to glorify the Lord Jesus Christ and, during this age, to convict men, regenerate the sinner, indwell, guide, instruct, and empower the believer for Godly living and service. (5) That man was created in the image of God but fell into sin and is therefore lost, and only though God’s grace are salvation and spiritual life obtained. (6) That the shed blood of Jesus Christ and His resurrection provide the only ground for salvation, and only those who receive Jesus Christ are born of the Holy Spirit and thus become Children of God. (7) That those who received Jesus Christ in the N.T. believed Jesus to be the Son of God, confessed that belief with their mouths, repented of their sins, and, as believers were baptized into Christ. (8) That Jesus Christ is the Lord and Head of the Church, and that every local Church is governed by a Scripturally qualified Eldership and has the right under Christ to decide its own affairs. (9) In the personal and imminent return of our Lord Jesus Christ, and that this “blessed hope” has a vital bearing on the personal life and service of every believer. (10) In the bodily resurrection of the dead, of those in Christ to everlasting blessedness and joy with the Lord, of the unbeliever to judgement and everlasting conscience punishment. Those issues are not up for grabs!
But.. outside those position statements and beliefs we’re going to be flexible & stay unified. We may not all agree on things like eternal security, women’s roles in the Church, predestination, the Gifts of the Spirit, style of music or whether the preacher sits or stand, etc. But we dare not make those things a test of whether or not you can come to church here and learn about Jesus! Listen, our enemy is Satan, our enemy is not another Bible believing Christian who disagrees with us over an interpretation of Scripture. Orrin Root said, "Fight the good fight of faith, but make sure it’s the good fight of faith your fighting and not one another. If you’re in a battle and you had a fellow soldier using his weapon incorrectly, you might try to correct him and you would try to encourage him but you wouldn’t shoot him! Because you’d recognize that he is not your enemy, you’re both trying to defeat a common foe." When you see, drugs and aids and the break up of the family you know our real enemy is busy! We cannot afford to be shooting our fellow soldiers. Paul writes: Eph. 4:2- "Be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other’s faults because of your love. 3 Always keep yourselves united in the Holy Spirit, and bind yourselves together with peace.”(NLT) Sure we come from different backgrounds, sure we have different temperaments and ideas.. but none of that matters. All that matters is that we’re united in Jesus. After all, Jesus prayed for it, the threat of the enemy demands it.. So, let’s be one church where we just do it!
{Scripture taken from Holy Bible, Translation at noted}
