Tom Zuercher

And Let it Begin with Me

Scripture Texts: II Chronicles 7:14, Joshua 3:5
(All Scripture texts are from the New International Version)

Sermon Text

Some time ago, someone forwarded an e-mail to my inbox that I found absolutely delightful. It was entitled "Wise Advice From Kids", compiled by Jennifer Pritchard. Some of these gems of wisdom are:

1. "Never trust a dog to watch your food" (Patrick, age 10)
2. "When your dad is mad and asks you, 'Do I look stupid to you?', don't answer him" (Michael, age 14)
3. "Never tell your mom her diet's not working" (Michael, age 14)
4. "Stay away from prunes" (Randy, age 9)
5. "When your mom is mad at your dad, don't let her brush your hair" (Taylia, age 11)
6. "Never allow your three year old brother in the same room as your school assignment." (Traci, age 14)
7. "Never hold a dust buster and a cat at the same time" (Kyoyo, age 9)
8. "You can't hide a piece of broccoli in a glass of milk" (Armir, age 9)
9. "Felt markers are not good to use as lipstick" (Lauren, age 9)
10. "Don't pick on your sister when she's holding a baseball bat" (Joel, age 10)
11. "Never try to baptize a cat" (Eileen, age 9)

Now you may ask yourself, what do these "words of wisdom" have to do with our worship here this morning? And that's a fair question. In looking at all of these keen insights, it would seem to me that they are all fairly obvious. As adults, we all have the good sense not to try these things, but as children grow and learn, there is a whole new generation to discover "important wise advice".

As so it is with our theme for this year's Annual Conference: "Revive Us Again". Is it new? Of course not. Is it something we've never heard before? Hardly. All in all, it's fairly obvious. Who would want to attend a conference where the theme was "Mellow Us Again" or "Stifle Us Again"?

But just as the children of each new generation must relearn important truths, so it is that we in the church must revisit our need for Revival. Hear this quote from "Messenger":

"Obedience to Jesus Christ as Lord is the price of Christian discipleship. We serve Him whom we own as master. Through this relationship with Christ and with His church we experience the joy of Christian fellowship. If this relationship is real and vital and we are conscious of the presence of God with us, we may indeed have a feeling of deep comtentment and peace with gives evidence that our life has purpose and meaning, as we are directed by His Spirit. If, through neglect of worship and lack of spiritual discipline, we begin to live life as if God has no claim upon us, the Spirit may indeed leave us."

Was this from the most recent issue? No, this is a quote from the issue dated May 27, 1965. The words are from Dr. Paul Robinson in his column entitled "Questions You Ask". The recognition of the need for Revival is certainly not new.

A close examination of the history of the Church and the lives of Christians reveals the up and down nature of our spiritual journey. We cannot escape the reality that, in this life, we are trapped in the human experience, while the spiritual dimensions surround us and engage in a struggle for our eternal soul. Hear the prayer of King David as recorded in Psalm 51, written after he had been confronted with his sin of adultery with Bathsheba:

"Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love; according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions. Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin. (vs 1-2)
Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me." (vs. 10-12)

David's prayer is a cry for Revival! He is asking God to restore his spiritual life in the midst of unrighteousness.

When we mention the word "revive", what's the first thing that comes to your mind? For me it is the images of doctors and nurses in an emergency room or paramedics along the side of a road. As they frantically work with a victim to restore physical life, there is intensity, focus, and powerful action. I can see the pounding on the chest or the call for "clear!" as the electric paddles are applied in an attempt to restart the rhythmic beating of the heart. It is frightening to watch, and follow-up conversations with those who have been revived often reveal the broken bones or severe bruising that they experienced in the reviving efforts. But the survivors do not care. A small amount of pain is a small price to pay to have physical life restored.

There is a parallel image here for the church. What shape are we in? How close to spiritual death are we? How difficult will it be to bring us back from the brink? What are we willing to endure in order to be Revived? What price will we pay to restore spiritual life? I think the answer can be found in our two texts for this message. Turn with me to the first text, II Chronicles 7:14:

"if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and forgive their sin and will heal their land." (NIV)

Think with me for a moment, about the historical context of this verse. The people of Israel were experiencing a time of prosperity. The Temple had been rebuilt and King Solomon was at the height of his popularity. It was a good time. Yet, in the midst of all this celebration, there was disobedience in the lives of the people. The Lord appeared to King Solomon in the night, and gave him a message that included both warning and promise (vs. 12-22). This specific verse gives us a description of the process for Revival. There is no "secret formula" - there is no complex mystery. The instructions that were given to King Solomon are no different from the instructions that are given to us today. We are to humble ourselves, seek God's face, and turn from our wicked ways. If we want to identify ourselves as people who belong to God, if we want to call ourselves Christians, indicating that we belong to Jesus Christ, then our lives must be different from the rest of the world. We are to be focused on Jesus Christ as our Lord and Saviour, and we are to seek after righteousness. It is not a hobby, it is not a once a week event, it is a life-changing transformation. Our starting point is salvation, and our journey is spiritual maturity. Our goal is righteousness and our destiny is heaven.

But it's not that simple is it? Being holy does not come natural to us, does it? We live in the human experience and human events tend to evoke human reactions. When you accidently slam the door on your finger, you don't say "Verily, verily, I hath injured my digit", do you? Of course not. You want to say other things, and you want to find someone else to blame. That's human nature. The default characteristics of our human nature lead us to the path of least resistance, the path that makes us most comfortable. We want convenience, we want speed, we want it first, we want it now, and we want to be COMFORTABLE. Our society spends billions of dollars each year on things, gadgets, and stuff that are all designed to make us more comfortable. I would suggest to you this morning that "Comfortableness" has become the American disease of choice during the last forty years. We are so focused on being comfortable that we lose perspective.

Consider these remarks compiled by Mark Neifert, of Argonia, Kansas, taken from the visitor reply cards at the Bridger Wilderness Area in Wyoming in 1996:

1. "Trails should be wider so people can walk holding hands."
2. "Trails need to be reconstructed. Please avoid building trails that go uphill."
3. "(There are) Too many bugs and leeches and spiders and spider webs. Please spray the wilderness to rid the area of these pests."
4. "Please pave the trails so they can be plowed of snow during the winter."
5. "Chairlifts need to be in some places so that we can get to wonderful views without having to hike to them."
6. "The coyotes made too much noise last night and kept me awake. Please eradicate these annonying animals."
7. "Escalators would help on steep uphill sections."
8. "The places where trails do not exist are not well marked."
9. "Too many rocks in the mountains."
10. "A McDonald's would be nice at the trailhead."

Sounds ridiculous, doesn't it? Why would anyone want to change the essence of the experience to be more comfortable? Isn't that the reason people go into the wilderness? To experience it?

That loss of perspective is just as ridiculous when we see it in the life of the church. Our intense desire for "comfortableness" has had a profound effect on us in recent years. How many congregations have given up feet-washing because "that makes too many people uncomfortable"? And how many pastors have been "chewed up and spit out" because they were more interested in being obedient to the leading of the Holy Spirit instead of dismissing the worship in time to beat the Methodists to the restaurant? And just because we've had the same worship style for sixty years and it feels comfortable, that doesn't mean it's what we need today, does it? We already have padded pews; should we go for recliners and cup holders, with little buttons to control the temperature, and a switch to cut off the service when WE think it's time to go? After all, is it a church, or is it a museum for tradition?

We could talk a long time about the periphials of church life, but our focus is on Revival - spiritual awakening. And the II Chronicles text tells us that we must "turn from our wicked ways" and "have our sin forgiven". So let's focus on that - the SIN in our life.

I would be glad to lead an in-depth study on "The Nature of Sin" this morning, but they tell me that I only have twenty minutes. And while it is clear to me that we do not have a unified definition of sin in the Church of the Brethren, it is important that we draw some broad parameters.

During His ministry here on earth, Jesus addressed both the "doing" and the "being" of our human nature. In John 8:11, Jesus has an encounter with the woman caught in adultery. The religious people of the day, in an obvious attempt to trap Jesus and damage his popularity, bring the woman and throw her at his feet. "What shall we do with her?", they ask, assuming that any answer Jesus gives will be to their advantage. But, as always, the response of Jesus is the unexpected. He gives permission for her to be stoned, but puts it within the context of the sin within the lives of the accusers. He then, with genuine compassion, instructs the woman to "go and sin no more", referring to the "doing" aspect of sin in her life. The lesson is simple, receive the forgiveness that Christ offers and stop doing those things that are wrong, or in the words of our text - "turn from your wicked ways".

In Matthew 19:21, Jesus has an encounter with the rich young ruler. We don't know a great deal about this person, only that he sought an answer to the question "What must I do to be saved (to get eternal life)?". After a brief conversation, it is established that the "doing" aspect of his life is in harmony with the teachings of the law, but then Jesus goes on to address the "being" aspect of his life. Jesus instructs him to "go and sell your possessions and give to the poor", knowing that the young man had a great fondness for his wealth. It wasn't that he was "doing" something wrong, it was that he was "being" something wrong. His sin was in his preference for worldly wealth over righteousness.

Both the "doing" and the "being" are problem areas for us today. We struggle with immorality, lust, greed, and honesty - to name just a few - and we have difficulty allowing Jesus Christ to truly be Lord of our lives. WE (I) would rather be in control. As humans born into the sin nature (Romans 3:23), we have a strong tendency to follow after the path of least resistance. It is not natural for us to seek after righteousness, but that is exactly what we are called to do. It is God's will for us to be holy (I Thessalonians 4:3), not comfortable.

One of the mandates of the church is to warn people against sin, and to call for confession and repentance. When that mandate is abandoned, the church gets too comfortable with sin. Instead of calling for repentance and confession, we call for tolerance and correctness. In our rush to avoid offending anyone, the Church today is trying to be all things to all people, and it can't be done! And that is why we need REVIVAL!

What, then, must be our response? If the Church is to be revived, where does it start? It starts with you and it starts with me. Turn to the second text of this morning, Joshua 3:5:

"Then Joshua told the people, 'Consecrate yourselves, for tomorrow the Lord will do amazing things among you."

This verse is part of the larger context of the third chapter of Joshua in which the children of Israel were faced with a daunting task - they were to cross over the Jordan river while it was at flood stage. The flooding in Texas and Louisiana a few weeks ago caused by tropical storm Allison was vividly portrayed by video images that were both compelling and frightening. Not a one of us would want to cross a river at flood stage, and neither did the people of Israel. But that's where God directed them. In order to help His people get to where they needed to go, God gave them three commands: "get up and follow" (vs. 3), "consecrate yourselves" (vs. 5), and "go and stand in the river" (vs. 8). Each of these commands required obedience and faith, and carried an expectation of discomfort. The people were called to follow, because they didn't know which way to go. And the priests were told to go stand in the river because God wanted to demonstrate His power and authority. Notice that the waters did not dry up until the feet touched the water. In simple obedience, we become participants in God's miracle.

The people were told to consecrate themselves because there was a need for cleansing. Individual cleansing. If the people are going to be delivered, if the church is going to be revived, if the congregation is going to be saved, then the cleansing must be done. And it is everyone. Beginning with me and with you.

Why must the cleansing come? "Because tomorrow the Lord will do amazing things among you" (vs. 5). The word "amazing" isn't used much in our conversations anymore. In this age of high-tech wizardry and twenty-first century technology, we tend to take a "ho-hum" attitude towards things in life. But we are talking here about the Lord of all creation - the one who scattered the stars into space, spun the world on its axis, and breathed life into dust to create our ancestors. When He says He is going to do something amazing, I want to be around to watch! Don't you?

And that is the obstacle, the "river at flood stage", that lies in our path. That is the direction that God wants us to go. God wants to take us out of our complacency, out of our weakness, out of our pettiness, and into the land of miracles. I am convinced that God wants to use His people today to proclaim His message. I am persuaded that the potential for ministry is HUGE, and we are only barely scratching the surface. God wants to use our "five loaves and two fishes", and we are wasting our time fighting over who's going to be on the "Refreshment Committee".

When was the last time that something AMAZING happened in your congregation? When was the last time that something AMAZING happened in your relationship with Jesus Christ? When was the last time that you witnessed the power of God so real that it took your breath away, that it drove you to your knees, that your heart had no words to express His glory? We're talking about the life-transforming, miracle working, world-changing power of God that He wants to set free in our midst! Do you want that? Do you want God to do amazing things in the Church of the Brethren today? Do you want to be Revived?

Then the cleansing is the first step. If the Church is going to experience Revival, then you and I must take an honest look at ourselves. I'm not going to try to define sin this morning, but you know in your heart what it is. If you're doing something that you know isn't right, you need to stop it. If you have failed to do things that God has called you to do, then you need to start doing them. If there is sin in your life, you need to confess it, repent of it, and ask for God's transforming power. It's that simple. There's nothing complex or mysterious. It is simple faith. In I John 1:8-10 it says:

"If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. If we claim we have not sinned, we make Him out to be a liar and His word has no place in our lives."

My prayer is that the Church of the Brethren would experience Revival. That our denomination would be a powerful witness for Jesus Christ in our communities and our neighborhoods and that lives would be transformed through the gift of salvation. But it must begin with us, you and me. I know what my sin struggle is - do you know what yours is? Is your relationship with Jesus Christ what is ought to be? Is there sin that needs to be dealt with?

We're going to give you an opportunity to do more than just hear the sermon this morning, we are going to give you a chance to respond. We have designated four areas around the auditorium for prayer and for anointing. There are sixty volunteers from the Mid-Atlantic District and the Northern Ohio District who will be stationed in these four areas to assist you. In just a moment I'm going to instruct those prayer counselors to move out to the four areas.

We are doing this for you. It is our belief that we need to do more than just talk about Revival; we must do something about it. And it must start right here, right now. For just a moment, I want you to block out everything else around you and listen to the Holy Spirit. If there are things in your life that you need to pray about, I invite you to respond as the Invitation is given. The prayer counselors are going to move out to the four designated areas now, and Jimmy Owens is going to come and sing an invitation song. While he is singing, if you want to seek cleansing in your own life, I invite you to get up from your seat and go to one of the four areas. The prayer counselors will meet you and pray with you, and God will answer your prayer. If we truly want the Church to be Revived, then let it begin with me, and let it begin with you.