Sermon Reources available here...

                      

Sermon Reources available here...

                      

My Brother’s Keeper Fredric Nietzsche was right on target when he contended that the basic drive of human nature is the will to power. He contended that the will to power is dominant. In this respect, it is much ahead of Freud. Freud saw the sexual desires as mitigating people's behavior. And what Nietzsche did was recognized that a lot of what goes on in the name of sex, has nothing to do with sex, has nothing to do with love, but has to do with power.

Power. Power. Who is not addicted to power? And if there's anything that Jesus Christ comes into the world to do, it's to invade our lives and deliver us from power into love. Because there is an inverse relationship between power and love. I don't know whether you've thought that through. Willard Waller was the first in sociology to see it.

I love the name Willard Waller. You wonder what kind of people with the last name, Waller, would name a kid Willard. That's not the half of it. Willard Waller was born and raised in Walla Walla, Washington.

But it was Willard Waller who set forth the principle of least interest. "In any relationship," he says, "whoever is exercising the most power, is exercising the least love. Whoever is exercising the most love, has the least power."

Let’s examine the second question from the Bible that we want to examine in this series.

We find it in Genesis 4, “... Am I my brother’s keeper?”

This question is rooted in sarcasm and defensiveness. To this day it is asked in the same manner.

Context: The story of Cain and Abel. They were the first two siblings to experience a case of sibling rivalry. It was the first case of jealousy and it quickly went from bad to worse. It was the first murder. This is a very telling story about the inherited flaw that humans were born with following the fall of Adam and Eve. From then till now we have been born with a self-centered emphasis. We have a natural tendency to “look out for number one,” or always be more concerned about protecting ourselves instead of others.

I want us to refocus on the Christ centered approach to life which answers the question with a resounding yes. Yes, we are our brother’s keeper. We are to take care of others. We are to practice unselfish behavour including sacrificing for others.

The answer to the question is YES; we are our brother’s keeper. Biblically we are given principle after principle that suggests we are to care for one another.

Did you know that over fifty times the New Testament uses the phrase “one another” or “each other?” We are commanded to:

      Love each other.
      Pray for each other.
      Encourage each other.
      Admonish one another.
      Greet each other.
      Serve each other.
      Teach each other.
      Accept each other.
      Honor each other.
      Bear each other.
      Forgive each other.
      Submit to each other.
      Be devoted to each other.

Accepting this message means that we accept the responsibility to do or be at least three things. I want to give you three principles that you need to apply to your life to practice this important part of Christ following.

1. Yes, I will be a person of integrity. I will keep my life clean.

You may think that this is a strange way to be your brother’s keeper but integrity is critical for you to influence other people. If the Bible teaches anything it teaches integrity and honesty.

Integrity simply defined is you are what you are when everybody is looking and you are the same when no one is looking. What you are when no one is looking is what you are.

Integrity means you do what you will do.
Integrity means that you follow through.
Integrity means if you make promises you keep them.
Integrity means that you are honest. At work, at home, with neighbors, or wherever you are. If you don’t have integrity you forfeit your right to lead others or be a vital part of their lives.

Integrity means you tell the truth, all the time. You become known as a person of honesty. Someone that others can trust is telling the whole truth and not stretching it one way or the other to avoid getting in trouble.

“The truth of the matter is that you always know the right thing to do. The hard part is doing it.” —General Norman Schwarzkopf Ibid.

"You can't build a reputation on what you are going to do." - Henry Ford

If you want to be involved with other people you have to do what you say you’re going to do. Centuries ago, a man conned his way into the Chinese emperor’s orchestra. He could not play the flute, but he dramatically mimicked the characteristics of a seasoned flutist. His charade afforded him a modest salary and a comfortable place to live. He enjoyed the trappings of his deception until the emperor decided he would like to hear a private solo from each musician in the orchestra. In a state of panic, he took flute lessons but he couldn’t learn fast enough. In desperation, he feigned illness but the court physician couldn’t find anything wrong with him. On the eve before his presentation, this con artist took poison and committed suicide. The Chinese language was impacted by this historical event and it has impacted the English language as well. Because of that situation we now have the phrase, “He refused to face the music.” We must all face the music in our lives and realize that each of us will be held accountable for every moment of our lives. One day, God will call every person to individually face the music.

“A Heart Like His,” Max Lucado, UpWords Tape TS9702

2. Yes, I will be a person who is involved. I will show compassion.

Jesus has said, "If you want to be my disciple, deny yourself." Jesus has said to the rich young ruler, "Sell everything you have and give it to the poor." I know what you're going to say. "Did you get a seminary education?" No I didn’t, I went to a business school for my grad degree.

Tony Campolo said, “I'm so glad I went to seminary because, until I went to seminary, I thought Jesus meant what he said. You know? I mean you read the tenth chapter of Mark, and Jesus says to this rich young ruler, "You've obeyed the commandments. You do well. One thing you lackest. Sell everything you have, give it to the poor, take up the cross and follow me." You know, I thought that Jesus meant for him to sell everything he had and give it to the poor. But when they finished with me at seminary, I knew that that's what he said, but what he really meant to say was that you've got to get your priorities straight. And the rich young ruler's problem was that he put wealth above God. He didn't have his priorities straight. That was what he meant to communicate. Aw, Man! Isn't it great that they have people like us that can tell congregations what Jesus meant to say; otherwise, they would just end up believing what he said! I mean, you'd have a church full of people who would be giving away their stuff to feed the poor!

Or maybe Jesus meant what he said. Please note.

And that's the reality - that Jesus calls upon us to respond to the needs of the poor. Why? Because the poor are sacramental. St. Francis of Assisi understood that - that the poor are sacramental.

Whenever I use the word sacramental, the Catholics get happy because of their doctrine of transubstantiation, where they believe the bread is turned into the body of Christ and the wine is turned into the blood of Christ.We believe that in the Holy Communion, the bread stays bread, and the wine is transformed in to grape juice. That's Nazarene theology. In the middle are Anglicans, Lutherans and some Presbyterians who believe that the bread remains bread and the wine remains wine, but coming through the elements is the real presence of Jesus.

I'm not sure what all happens in Holy Communion. I just know this: that what the Lutherans and the Anglicans and some Presbyterians say about bread and wine at communion is what St. Francis was saying about the poor - that Jesus somehow mystically is inherent in them and comes to us through them. And as we embrace them, we embrace Jesus.

Recently I heard a story of a preacher who was in Philadelphia.

”I'm walking down Chestnut Street in Philadelphia. There's a bum walking towards me, a derelict, dirty, filthy man. Covered with soot from head to toe, a huge beard that hung down to his waist, rotted food stuck in the beard. He's holding in his hand a cup of McDonald's coffee. He spots me. He says, "Hey mister! You want some of my coffee?"

The lip of the cup was already smudged with his dirty, filthy beard, but I knew that the right thing to do was to take a sip and affirm his generosity, and I did, and I gave it back to him. I said, "You're getting generous, aren't you - giving away your coffee? Giving away your coffee to perfect strangers? You don't even know who I am. What's gotten into you today, giving away your coffee?"

He said, "Well, the coffee today was especially delicious, and I figure if God gives you something good, you ought to share it with people."

I thought, "Oh, man. This guy has set me up. It's going to cost me $10.00." I said, "You're expecting something in return, aren't you?"

He said, "Yeah. I want a hug." I was hoping for the $10.00. He put his arms around me. I put my arms around him. Then I realized something. He wasn't going to let me go. He was holding on. People were passing on the street. They're staring at this establishment man hugging this dirty, filthy bum. I'm embarrassed. But little by little, my embarrassment turned to awe and reverence, and I heard Jesus saying, "I was hungry - did you feed me; naked - did you clothe me; sick - did you care for me; I was in prison - did you care for me? For whatever you did or failed to do to the least of these, my brothers and sisters, you failed to do to me."

Jesus inherences in the poor and the oppressed. And insofar as we respond to them, we are responding to Jesus. And therein lies our source of authority.

One other source of authority. It's going to sound almost pietistic, but I think we gain authority and we speak with authority to the great issues of our time when, first of all, we have sacrificially responded to the needs of the poor and secondly, when we develop a depth of spirituality that alters who we are.

Get quiet before God and let him show you how to respond to the needs of others.

I said it before but let me remind you that I believe God has given us this community to be His influence in. What does that mean? Have you prayed and asked God what that means for you or our church?

How do you show compassion? If you are to be your brother’s keeper you will find someway to be Jesus to others.

I live and long for the day when we minister to this community with ease. With a naturalness, like breathing, until compassion becomes such a part of us that we see the needs and find our lifestyle changing because of our commitment to helping others.

3. Yes, I will be a person of influence. I will keep my life consecrated.

Max Weber, the German physiologist, differentiated between power and authority. There's a big difference between those two. Power and authority. Power is the ability to coerce. If you do what I tell you because you have to, because you're coerced, then I have power. But if you do what I ask you because you want to, because you feel there is legitimacy to my claims, then I have authority.

When Jesus spoke, he spoke over against the Pharisees and the Scribes and Pilate and Herod and Caesar. They had the power, but when Jesus spoke, he spoke as one having authority. Authority. And if you asked Max Weber the very obvious question, "How does one gain authority?" "The answer's simple," says Weber. "Through sacrificial service."

The more you sacrifice, the more authority you have.

I mean, you look at the Roman Catholic Church. If you were given the choice between listening to the Pope or listening to Mother Theresa, which would the choice be? I mean, who spoke with more authority? The Pope had the office. The Pope had the power, but Mother Theresa spoke as one having authority. And where did she get that authority? She got that authority on the street of Calcutta ministering to the poor and the oppressed.

May I say that the Church of Jesus Christ gains it authority as it ministers among the poor and the spiritually needy. You can’t afford to be in a church where people just show up and put their time in to somehow do their duty to God. As I look around the country and see what is going on in the name of church I wonder that God should be so merciful. I stand amazed at His grace and that He doesn’t strike them all on the same day just for being so lame. I am surprised He doesn’t put them out of their misery. (If you think those comments are a little extreme I encourage you to read the way God dealt with Israel in the Old Testament. For those of you who like to write off the Old Testament, read the first few chapters of Revelation and see how God feels about churches that stray from His mission of reaching people who no nothing about God.

We believe as part of the greater Wesleyan movement that there is in the life of every believer the potential for live a holy life. That God can so consume your life until you surrender your life to Him.

To be a person of influence you have to keep yourself consecrated to God. I mean give Him everything and take nothing back. Put your life and everything you are and own into God’s hands. Hold it loosely.

I know of a man who had an incredible job a few years ago. With it came international recognition and prestige. He got tired of it. He started looking at the Bible and realized that there had to be something more he could do with his influence So he quit his job.

He went into the inner city and started a little business that would help people get off the street corners. He used his business ability to put a plan together that allowed these folk to start supporting their families. He loved them. He cared about them. He showed them Jesus. When he died, as they were standing at his graveside a spontaneous testimony meeting broke out. They started weeping and sharing about how he had made a difference in their lives.

I mentioned Tony Campolo earlier. He tells a story that I think we need to consider this morning. I pulled this quote from an address that he gave to a group of Presbyterians.

“I belong to a black church in Philly. You've been a good audience. You're exceptional. My church makes you look quiet by comparison, though. I belong to this black church. And you know its' a Baptist church because the deacons sit right up front and they yell at you good things. You didn't do that.

Once a year we have a student recognition day, and the young men and women come back from the universities and come to the rostrum and, one by one, tell the wonderful things that they're doing and studying. "I'm studying engineering at MIT." You hear the old folks go "My, my, mm - mm - mm." "I'm studying law at Harvard." "Yes, Jesus. Thank you, Jesus. Mm - mm - mm."You think you've heard great music. You've haven't heard the greatest music until you've heard about 500 grandmothers and grandfathers of African-American descent moaning and groaning the moans and groans of joy because their grandchildren are becoming what America never let them be.

And when they were finished, my pastor got up and he looked at these young people, some 40 of them. And he said, "Children! Children!" He talks like that. He said, "Children! You're gonna die. You are gonna die!" He said, "You don't think you're gonna die. You're gonna die. They're gonna take you out to the cemetery. They're gonna drop you in a hole. They're gonna throw dirt in your face, and they're gonna go back to the church and eat potato salad!"

He said, "When you were born, you were the only one that cried. Everybody else was happy. That's not important. Here's what's important: when you die, will you be the only one that's happy, and everyone else will cry? Depends on what you're living for.

Titles of power and prestige? Titles that are president of this and vice president of - is that what you're after? Are you committed to getting these titles, these degrees? Doctor of this and master of that and something else? Are you committed to degrees and titles? Do you want a tombstone with your titles? Or do you want people standing around your grave, giving testimonies of how you loved them and how your life was lived out for them? Do you want titles or testimonies? Titles? Are you after titles or are you after testimonies?" See that's black preaching. That's poetry. "Titles or testimonies."

And then he'd do what only black preachers can do. He swept through the Bible in only five minutes. See, when they finish with you at Princeton, you can't do that. I mean, you guys get bogged down. You know, I've heard you preach. "Today we're going to exegete the third verse of --"

And this guy started in Genesis and went through Revelation in one sweep. He said, "There was Moses and there was Pharaoh. Now, Pharaoh had the title. He had the powerful position. He had the title, but Moses had the testimonies."

He said, "There's Jezebel, Queen Jezebel. There's somebody with power. Queen Jezebel. She had a title. Good title, queen. She was gonna destroy Elijah, prophet of God, but when it was over, all she had a was title. She had the title, but Elijah had the testimony."

Goliath had the title. He was the biggest guy in the land but David had the testimony and God helped him slay the giant. "There's Nebechadnezzar, King of Babylon. All kinds of power in that position. King Nebechadnezzer. He had the title, but Daniel had the power."

There’s King Herod who had the title. He had the power to kill and even behead someone. But then there’s John the Baptist. He had the testimony.

Pilate had the title. He was Governor, but Jesus had the testimony.

When we live out sacrifice, when we are spiritually connected to Jesus so that he cleanses us and fills us with the Spirit, we will go into a world and speak with authority. And we can abandon our power games, and live out Christ in the World.Who was not touched this week by the sight of former President George Bush at 80 years of age eulogizing Ronald Reagan. As his voice broke, he said, “As his vice president for eight years, I learned more from Ronald Reagan than from anyone I encountered in all my years of public life. I learned kindness; we all did. I also learned courage; the nation did.”It was a fitting testimony and a heartfelt one.

What is anybody going to say about you or me? Have you made a difference in someone else’s life or have you made it all about you? Have you become infatuated with your titles and degrees or place in society?

Are you your brother’s keeper?

2004/06/13