INTRO.- ILL.- I have a 3-year older brother named Larry. When he was a senior in high school I was a freshman. They called him "Big Shep" and me "Little Shep." (BUT YOU CAN CALL ME, BIG SHEP!)
One day in gym class I got into a fight with a guy 2 years older than me. He was a junior. His name was Doug Told and he came from a family that had money. I WAS CONSIDERED MIDDLE-CLASS AND HE WAS UPPER-CLASS.
But just because he had money he was not particularly a popular guy. The reason was because he acted like he was better than other people. MANY STUDENTS DIDNâT LIKE HIM AND I DIDN’T EITHER.
On this particular day in gym we were playing "hog ball." The coach blew the whistle and suddenly I found myself standing in front of Doug Told. He was on the opposing team and instead of grabbing the ball and making a run for it, we started slugging it out! He apparently didnât like me either!
THERE WE STOOD, GOING TOE-TO-TOE! I was hitting him, punching him in the face just as fast I could! WAS IT EVER FUN!
Suddenly, the coach blew his whistle and put a stop to our fighting. AND EVERYBODY CHEERED FOR ME... "Way to go! Shep!" I loved it!
One of the best fights I ever had, because I got the best of him and everybody knew it. AND SO DID DOUG TOLD. AND HE DIDN’T LIKE IT ONE BIT. In fact, he said he was going to get me after school.
And I never thought much about it until after school. When school was let it out, he and one of his friends cornered me out near the street in front of the school. And I thought, "Uh Oh, I may be in trouble. Two against one...."
Suddenly, I looked up and there was my older brother, Big Shep, in his old 51 Chevy. HE SAID SOME CHOICE WORDS TO DOUG TOLD AND HIS BUDDY...CHEWED ON THEM ABOUT PICKING ON A LITTLE FRESHMAN.
Then he said, "Get in the car." I did and we headed home.
MY OLDER BROTHER LARRY SAVED ME! MY BIG BROTHER SAVED ME! And suddenly, I felt safe and secure!
DO YOU REALIZE THAT WE HAVE A BIG BROTHER WHO HAS SAVED US?
Hebrews 2:10-11, 17-18
Jesus is our "big brother" who saved us and rescued us from the evil one! We are saved in Jesus Christ! We are saved from the world, the flesh and the devil through Jesus, our Big Brother, our Savior! And even more than that: We are safe and secure in Him!
In Romans 13:11 Paul said that our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. What’s he talking about?
Salvation is a past, present and future experience. WE HAVE BEEN SAVED. WE ARE BEING SAVED. AND WE SHALL BE SAVED.
Paul is talking about the "grand finale" of salvation. The end, the finish line, the final curtain, the last hurrah, the closing chorus, etc.
II Tim. 4:7-8 "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day - and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for His appearing."
ILL.- In December of 1988 I ran the Huntsville, AL, marathon to try to qualify for the Boston Marathon which was to be run the next April. The Boston Marathon is one of the oldest marathons in the world and the most prestigious. And to run it you have to meet a qualifying time. In 1988 I was over 40 which meant I had to run the marathon in 3 hours and 10 minutes in order to quality for Boston. MY PREVIOUS BEST WAS ONLY 3 HOURS AND 24 MINUTES. So I had to knock some 14 minutes off my time.
I actually beat that 3 hours and 10 minutes and what made the difference was a woman! One of our local River to River female runners was also running the marathon and about 10 miles I finally caught her and we ran the rest of the race together. I DON’T LIKE TO ADMIT IT, BUT SHE ACTUALLY KEPT ME GOING, PUSHING THE PACE, ETC.
When I crossed that finish line after 26:2 miles the clock overhead read 3 hours and 4 minutes. I actually beat the time that I needed to run. I WAS SO EXCITED.
When I ran across that finish line, I waved both my arms wildly and hollered out, "I DID IT! I DID IT! I DID IT!" And Iâll guarantee you, everybody within about 20 yard area heard me too!
Brothers and sisters, when I go across that finish line in heaven I am not going to be saying, "I did it! I did it! I did it!" but rather, "THANK YOU, LORD JESUS! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! I PRAISE YOU!"
I am going to heaven, not because of who I am or because of any good thing I have done. I AM GOING TO HEAVEN BECAUSE OF WHO JESUS IS AND BECAUSE OF WHAT HE HAS DONE FOR ME! And the same is true for all of us.
ILL.- J. Russell Morse was a missionary to China many years ago. And I believe it was in 1991 that he died in a hospital in Joplin, MO, at the age of 90. A preacher friend of mine called on brother Morse the night before he died. And old Brother Morse’s last words to him were: "VICTORY IN JESUS!"
The only way anybody is going to experience victory over sin and death and hell is through Jesus!
Brothers and sisters, the older we become the closer we are to V-Day! Victory Day! And every day just brings us one step closer. Paul said, "Our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed...."
PROP.- Since our grand finale of salvation is getting closer and closer, what should we be doing? Paul gives us his inspired advice. It’s threefold:
1- Wake up
2- Clean up
3- Grow up
I. WAKE UP
V. 11 "The hour has come for you to wake up from your slumber." People need to wake up! Wake up! Don’t be sleeping in church! And more importantly, don’t be sleeping in life!
ILL.- A 77-year-old man in Palm Harbor, Florida, is a sleepwalker. DID YOU EVER DO THAT? Could be a problem. One day 77-year-old James Currens sleepwalked out of his house, stumbled down an embankment and didn’t wake up until he was stuck in an alligator-infested pond. A neighbor heard him hollering for help and called the police around 5 a.m.
Mr. Currens was found fighting off those alligators with his cane in his hand. There were 8 to 10 gators. AND IF HE HADN’T WOKE UP HE’D BEEN GATOR BREAKFAST!
Brothers and sisters, sleepwalking and sleep-living will get you into trouble! And it won’t be alligators! It will be something far worse!
ILL.- A husband was greatly depressed. He said, "Everything has gone wrong. I don’t see any hope at all. My house just burned down. My daughter eloped with a bum. My wife has left me. The bank is foreclosing on my mortgage. AND THE CARDINALS LOST 2 TO 3 IN THE 9TH! CAN YOU IMAGINE THAT......2 TO 3 IN THE 9TH!"
That man was asleep and needed to be woke up. He was asleep about what was going in his life. Many bad things happened to him because he had his attention focused on a trivial pursuit! HIS ATTENTION WAS ON SPORTS AND NOT HIS WIFE AND FAMILY!
II Tim. 3:1-5
Brothers and sisters, I am not against sports. I am not against the Cardinals nor the Cubbies. I am not against hunting. I am not against golfing. I am not against fishing...certainly not against fishing! I’D BE CRAZY TO BE AGAINST THESE SPORTS AND A WHOLE LOT MORE!
But if we become so preoccupied with sports or anything else that we neglect our families and our relationship to Christ then we are asleep and need to be woke up!
Jesus said, "Heaven and earth will pass away...." This earth and everything in it, sports included, will some day pass away, BUT PEOPLE ARE ETERNAL BEINGS! THEY ARE MORE VALUABLE THAN THINGS!
And don’t get me wrong, I’ve been just as guilty as the next person.
ILL.- When I was preaching in Iberia, MO, between 1973 - 1984, my children were babies. In 1984 Shane was 4 and Holly was 10. And while we lived there I’ll admit that I spent quite a bit of my spare time & regular time fishing. In fact, if one particular man in the church who had a bass boat would call and say, "Let’s go!" And I grabbed my rods and headed out the door.
Yes, I have to be honest and admit that there were times when I neglected my family and some of my church responsibilities in order to go fishing.
I don’t think I’m paying for that now, but I think I have paid for something else in other ways. AND IT’S BECAUSE I WAS ASLEEP! I’M SAYING, DON’T GO TO SLEEP!!!
If you go to sleep in life and begin to neglect the important things of life, the gators are going to get you!
I Pet. 5:8 "Be self-controlled and alert. The enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour."
People are who are not spiritually alert, spiritually awake, are the ones the devil is going to devour. WAKE UP!
ILL.- During a business meeting in a small mountain church, one of the deacon said, "Pastor, I think we need a chandelier for our church."
"No way," replied another deacon. "I’m against it."
"Why don’t you think we need a chandelier, brother deacon?" asked the pastor.
He replied, "Well, in the first place, nobody in the church can spell it. Secondly, nobody in the church can play it. And thirdly, WHAT THIS CHURCH NEEDS ABOVE ALL ELSE IS MORE LIGHT!"
Brothers and sisters, don’t be ignorant about life! Don’t be asleep when it comes to the truth about life and the Christian life!
What is going to help us stay awake?
ILL.- Last Tuesday I drove down to Cape G., MO, to see Shane. That’s 200 miles away. On the way home, I stopped in Anna to see a family in the church. That was around 7:30 p.m. Before I realized it, it was 10 p.m. and I said I’d better get going. They asked me to stay the night, but I said I could make it home ok.
I didn’t even get to Mt. Vernon which is 70 miles from Anna and I started to go to sleep at the wheel. It was terrible! I was drifting off big time! I’d hit a bump in the road and wake up.
I thought, "How am I going to wake up and stay awake?’ I remembered Shane told. He said, "Dad, roll down your windows and crank up the music." I did and it worked. I listened to some good gospel music I had on tape and let the fresh air in!
What is going to help us stay awake spiritually? We need to crank up the music and let the fresh air of God’s Spirit into our presence! How’s that?
To stay spiritually awake we need to listen to more good gospel music...surround ourselves with it. And allow the freshness of God’s Spirit into our presence. And we do that through Church, Sunday School, and private worship... personal Bible study and prayer.
Salvation is near...so
1- Wake up
II. CLEAN UP
V. 12-13 "Let us put aside the deeds of darkness... Let us behave decently, as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and debauchery, not in dissension and jealousy."
Powerful words! Paul is saying that because our salvation is getting closer we need to clean up our act! Clean up our lives!
WHO ME? Yes, you!! And you! And you! And me too! Brothers and sisters, do you realize that we all have a "dark" side to us?
ILL.- A preacher said to his congregation one time, "There’s a theory around that if people don’t smoke, don’t drink booze, don’t overeat, or don’t engage in extramarital sex, they’ll live a lot longer. THE TROUBLE IS, WE WON’T KNOW FOR SURE UNTIL SOMEBODY IN THIS CONGREGATION TRIES IT."
I’m not saying that we’re that bad, BUT I AM SAYING THAT WE ARE BAD! I AM SAYING THAT WE ALL HAVE A DARK, SINFUL SIDE TO US NO MATTER HOW GOOD WE ARE!
ILL.- Do you remember Robert Lewis Stevenson’s classic story, "The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde"? Dr. Jekyll had a split personality. One side was good and the other was evil. AND WE ALL ARE SOMEWHAT LIKE THAT. We all have a dark side.
ILL.- According to Gen. 6:9 Noah was righteous and blameless. He was a man who walked with God. And yet in Gen. 9:20-22 we find he had a dark side. HE GOT DRUNK AND BALANTLY UNCOVERED HIMSELF FOR OTHERS TO SEE!
ILL.- Moses was a humble man. He was well-educated, mighty in words and deeds, considered by many to be the Pharaoah-elect. HE WAS A MAN WHO SERVED THE LORD.
And yet we find that during his mid-life, he murdered a man. In an unguarded moment, a moment of rash decision, Moses acted from his fleshly desires and killed an Egyptian. HOW COULD THAT BE? Because Moses had a dark side just like all human beings.
Given the right circumstances, some of us might do the same thing.
ILL.- David of old was called "a man after God’s own heart" in I Sam. 13:13-14. He was a leader, a hero, a courageous, faithful man of God. He proved himself to be a man of God until you get to II Sam. 11:2-5.
And then, bingo! HIS DARK SIDE COMES OUT! He lusts after Bathsheeba and commits adultery with her!
ILL.- Preacher John Stott said, "We human beings have both a unique dignity as creatures made in God’s image and a unique depravity as sinners under His judgment. We can behave like God in whose image we are made, only to descend to the level of beasts."
We all have a dark side which needs to be cleaned up! Paul said, "Because your grand finale of salvation is getting close you need to clean up your life!"
How can we do this? Well, let me tell, it’s not going to be the easiest thing we ever did.
ILL.- One Sunday, Mrs. Calvin Coolidge was sick and couldn’t go to church with her president husband. When the president returned home, she asked, "What did the minister preach about?" He said, "sin."
She asked, "What did he say about it?" Coolidge replied, "HE WAS AGAINST IT."
Brethren, if we are ever going to clean up our lives then we must take a firm stand, a strong stand against evil. WE MUST BE AGAINST IT! And not just in other people’s lives, but also our own.
"You should poured it on ’em, Preacher." That’s not what I’m talking about.
Romans 12:9 "Hate what is evil..."
If we are ever going to be able to clean up our lives then we make hate the evil that exists in our own lives!
We just have to say to ourselves, "I know this is wrong. The Bible says so. And I’m going to take a stand against it. I’m going to fight it in my own life."
We also put aside the deeds of darkness, or put away our "dark" side by asking for help.
ILL.- A sign once hung in a clothing factory. It read, "If your threads get tangled, call the foreman." Well, sure enough, one day a woman was working away, not paying attention and got her threads tangled. Immediately, she went to work on them, trying to get them untangled.
Finally, in desperation, she called for the foreman. Looking at the mess sheâd made, he asked, "Why didn’t you call for me in the first place like the sign says?"
"Well," she said, "I thought I could untangle them myself."
"But the sign instructed you to call for me," the foreman said. "But I did my best." AND THE FOREMAN REPLIED, "BUT YOUR BEST WAS NOT GOOD ENOUGH! NEXT TIME, CALL FOR ME!"
Brethren, sometimes our best efforts are not good enough. I’m not saying that we shouldn’t try to untangle the messes in our lives. I’m convinced that God wants us to make an effort to fight against sin in our lives, but sometimes human effort isn’t enough! WE NEED HELP FROM THE FOREMAN! We need help that is bigger and better than ourselves!
WE MUST LOOK UP TO THE LORD! He can lift us out of the mire and into the choir! Out of the mire of sin and into the choir of rejoicing! Ps. 40
If you need to do certain things, then do them. REPENT AND BE BAPTIZED! Rom. 6 speaks of dying with Christ in baptism so that the body of sin might done away with!
Commit everything to the Lord in prayer! Commit your sins to the Lord in prayer! Let Him go to work on them! "Lord, I’m having a real problem with this... a real struggle... Please take it away. Give me victory. Strengthen me with your powerful Holy Spirit... And please keep me out of the devil’s territory!"
Our salvation is getting closer and closer.
1- Wake up
2- Clean up
III. GROW UP
V. 14 "Clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ..."
ILL.- We’re going to have a little contest. Want to join in? Everybody knows that when you go to church you put on your "Sunday-go-to-meetin" clothes! WHO IS THE BEST-DRESSED HERE TODAY?
Let me see. Hmmm, I donât look too bad myself. Of course, everybody knows that the preacher has to look the part, look his best, etc.
ILL.- A clerk was showing a lady a very nice shirt and tie. The clerk said, "Now this is absolutely elegant. It is perfect for a man-about-town."
"Could be," the woman replied, "BUT I’M LOOKING MORE FOR SOMETHING FOR A LOUSE-AROUND-THE-HOUSE."
The point I want to make is this: WE SHOULD WANT TO BE DRESSED THE VERY BEST WE CAN..... SPIRITUALLY -SPEAKING!
We know that the Lord really doesn’t care that much about the clothes we wear as long as we are clean. BUT THE LORD IS CERTAINLY CONCERNED ABOUT OUR SPIRITUAL CLOTHING! Or how spiritual we truly are!
But isn’t is strange how we will take such pains, go to great lengths to make ourselves look good on the outside? We primp, pamper, pluck, push in and pull out and no telling what else, in order to look good on the outside!
But God is looking on the inside! God is far more concerned about clothing our spirits with His Spirit than He is clothing our bodies. Although He does do a pretty good job of that too.
Once we wake up to what is going on in life and wake up to our sin then we must clean up our lives. And finally, we must grow up, i.e. that is grow up into the image of Christ! "Clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ."
How do we do that? How can we put on the spirit, the personality, the character of Christ? So that we will be more like Him. How? I want to know how?
ILL.- I have heard it said, "You are what you eat." Food in, fat out. Thatâs what I’ve discovered. Heard a doctor say one time, "Fat is made out of food." You eat enough food and guess what happens? And lately, I’ve not been happy about what is happening to my body. I’ve gained 10 lbs. since coming to MCC.
What I’m saying is this: YOU ARE WHAT YOU TAKE IN! Or let me put it another way. YOU ARE WHAT YOU READ!
Your body is what you take in food-wise. AND YOUR SPIRIT IS WHAT YOU TAKE IN READING-WISE!
Prov. 23:7 KJV "As a man thinketh, so is he."
Whatever you set your mind on is what you will become! Whatever you think about, read, is what you will become!
What are you reading? I have found that most folks don’t even read and when they do, they don’t read the right kind of material to be able to improve themselves spiritually!
BE A READER! It’s good for you mentally and spiritually. Reading improves your brain function. AND WE ALL KNOW THAT OUR BRAINS COULD FUNCTION BETTER!
And secondly, when you begin to read good spiritual material, it will help you to grow up! TO GROW UP INTO THE IMAGE OF CHRIST!
You need to read Scripture, of course. And you need good, sound spiritual books which will also help to become more like Christ. Such as: Max Lucado, Charles Stanley, John Hagee, Charles Swindoll, Warren Weirsbe, and a host of others.
You need to get your hands on some books by these authors and they will help you to grow up into the image of Christ!
II Cor. 3:18 "And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into His likeness with ever-increasing glory..."
Paul is saying that as we behold or look at the Lord Jesus through Scripture and other good Christian material we will be transformed into His likeness.
ILL.- It’s similar to a husband and wife who have been married for a long time, say 40 or 50 years. They often find themselves thinking alike and speaking alike.
One opens their mouth and the other speaks exactly the words they were going to say. IT’S ALMOST SCARY.
Why does that happen? BECAUSE THEY HAVE LIVED WITH ONE ANOTHER FOR SUCH A LONG TIME THAT THEY HAVE TAKEN ON ONE ANOTHERS PERSONALITY TRAITS. And the same thing can happen to us with Jesus!
Acts 4:13 "When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, THEY WERE ASTONISHED AND THEY TOOK NOTE THAT THESE MEN HAD BEEN WITH JESUS."
The people around the disciples could see something different about these men. THEY HAD BECOME DIFFERENT MEN! They were beginning to remind others of Jesus!
John the son of thunder, the hothead, had become the apostle of love! WHY? BECAUSE HE HAD BEEN WITH JESUS!
And we need to be with Jesus for the same reason...to become more like Him! We need to grow up into His image! It won’t be long! We’re nearly home! Therefore, let’s...
1- Wake up!
2- Clean up!
3- Grow up!
CONCLUSION------------------------------
ILL.- Brethren, suppose a man is sitting on a tack and is in pain. That would be painful, depending on the size of the tack.
Along comes a psychologist who says, "The reason you are hurting is rooted in a childhood trauma. You need therapy."
Next, a sociologist says, "You’ve got a problem and it is obviously the result of the environment in which you grew up. You need a change of environment."
Next, an economist says, "Money is the root of all hurt. Let me help you with your portfolio."
Next, a preacher says, "If you would learn to praise the Lord in all your circumstances, you won’t hurt so much."
Finally, a little girl comes along and says, "MISTER, WHY DON’T YOU JUST GET OFF THAT TACK?" Smart girl.
Brothers and sisters, we need to understand the present time in which we are living! AND IT IS THIS: Mankind is in deep pain and it’s because of sin! There’s no other way you can cut it. SIN IS OUR PROBLEM...always has been, always will be! The pain of sin has infected the whole world and there is only one answer....GET OF THAT WHICH IS CAUSING YOU PAIN AND TURN TO CHRIST FOR HEALING AND FORGIVENESS!
God doesn’t want us to live in pain anymore than we have to. And sin will make life painful. We need to wake up, clean up our lives and grow up by turning to Jesus.
