Decaffeinated Christianity

DECAFFEINATED CHRISTIANITY

Rev. 3:1

INTRODUCTION

A. COFFEE HUMOR

1. How did the hipster burn their mouth? They drank their coffee before it was cool.

2. Why did the barista get fired? They kept showing up to work in a tea-shirt.

3. How are coffee beans like teenagers? Both are always getting grounded.

4. What does a gossiping coffee do? Spill the beans.

5. Someone stole my coffee cup, so I’m heading to the police station to look over some mugshots.

6. A thirsty customer walked into a coffee shop. He asked the barista, “How much for a cup of coffee?” The barista pointed to the menu and said, “Five dollars for a cup of coffee and refills are free.” The customer replied, “Thanks. I’ll have a refill.”

B. TEXT

1. COFFEE IS MENTIONED IN THE MESSAGE Version in Luke 17:7-10, “Wouldn’t you be more likely to say, ‘Prepare dinner; change your clothes and wait table for me until I’ve finished my coffee; then go to the kitchen and have your supper’?” That’s not literal, but an equivalent interpretation!

2. But I want us to consider what Jesus said in Revelation to the Church at Sardis, “I see right through your work. You have a reputation for vigor and zest, but you’re dead, stone-dead” Rev. 3:1, Msg.

C. THESIS

1. Do we have a reputation for one thing but we’re really something else? Does Jesus see us the same way we see ourselves?

2. Today we’re taking a candid look at ourselves in a message entitled, “Decaffeinated Christianity.”

I. COMPARING DECAF & REGULAR COFFEE

A. DECAF IS A WONDERFUL THING

1. Decaffeinated coffee is a good thing for people who have heart conditions, are pregnant, have trouble going to sleep, or have anxiety problems. They better stay away from it or it may cause them problems.

2. But for most people, coffee is a blessing. It’s a delicious way to get a boost of energy in the morning, to defeat the afternoon slump, and has been described as a health elixir. It's been found to reduce prostate cancer risk, reduce heart failure risk, and even lower your risk of hearing loss. Dark roast may even help you lose weight. Under the right conditions, coffee is a wonderful blessing.

3. Many Americans have come to prefer South American coffee, like Columbian, to American-grown coffee, because it has more caffeine and a rich taste. These same consumers would declare that decaffeinated coffee just isn't real coffee.

B. DECAFFEINATION TAKES SOMETHING OUT

1. The same parallel exists in the spiritual realm; there is a real Christianity, and then there’s the look-a-like that doesn’t have the power to change you.

2. Decaffeinated Christianity, like decaffeinated coffee, won't wake you up, it won't perk you up, it won't keep you up and it won't get you up; it's just there.

3. It looks like coffee; it smells like coffee; it tastes like coffee; it just doesn't do for you, inside, what coffee ought to do. It is a coffee substitute.

4. IT FAILS TO STIMULATE YOU, TO REVIVE YOU. MANY FORMS OF CHRISTIANITY TODAY – INSTEAD OF

EMPOWERING YOU – WILL PUT YOU TO SLEEP!

C. ILLUSTRATION

1. The true story is told of a man who regularly slept in church. One evening service he dropped off like he always did, only this time a power outage left the auditorium in total darkness. The pastor did not use notes to preach and kept right on preaching.

2. Toward the end of the sermon, the man woke up. He rubbed his eyes but couldn’t see a thing. He heard the preacher and could feel his wife and daughter on both sides of him, but everything was pitch-black. In a state of panic, he stood up and declared, “Help me, I’m blind!”

3. Laughter filled the darkened room & that sleepy church member experienced revival at the altar of embarrassment, and one pastor enjoyed poetic justice. [Al Fasol, ministry127.com]

II. 5 WAYS WE DECAFFEINATE CHRISTIANITY

A. BECAUSE WE DON’T READ THE BIBLE

1. Many Christians have misconceptions about what the Bible teaches. 27% think that Superman might be in the Bible; and 54% think The Hunger Games might be in the Bible! [Christianity Today, 7/16/15]

2. Then there’s doctrinal error. 59% think the Holy Spirit is a force and not a personal Being. Why? Because only 1 in 10 read the Bible!

3. So people get their ideas of what’s in the Bible from the History Channel, a denomination, or from some family member.

B. BY LIMITING GOD

1. The favored form of decaffeinated Christianity in our culture is that we're a little afraid to let it go too far – somebody might think we're religious fanatics, and our pride won’t allow that! So we have decaffeinated our Christian faith, confined it, smoothed it out so it won’t offend anyone, and limited its effects to what our lost culture can agree with – then we wonder why there’s no power in it!