Title: You Gotta Walk Before You Talk
Bible Book: 1 John 1 : 7
Author: J. Emmett Henderson
Subject: Christian Living; Christian Love
Objective:
Introduction
The Roman officials believed they had secured the safety and prosperity of the empire. They had erected temples and altars to all the gods. They had ensured citizen patriotism and submission to the state. They had proclaimed the emperor to be a god and ordered his worship and obeisance. But then the officials saw the pagan temples were being emptied. Meat from sacrificed animals found few buyers. Many citizens refused to confess, "Caesar is Lord." Why had their carefully laid plans gone askew? Who is responsible? They concluded: "It’s the Christians. They have attracted the masses. They have emptied the temples." But who are the Christians? How did they do this? The officials did research. The results concluded:
I. Christians are Loving People
They love each other. They love children. They care for orphans. When a poor person dies, they pay the funeral bill. When a beggar comes to town, they fast for three days and give him their food.
Christians believe in marriage and family. They don't attend gladiator games. Some sell themselves into slavery to ransom others from slavery. Although they are persecuted by everybody, the Christians love everybody. When cursed, they bless. When insulted, they are kind. They make friends with antagonists. They help those who offend them. They are always looking for ways to do something good for those who hate them. They love their enemies. When the masses flee a town because of a plague, the Christians stay and care for the sick and minister to the dying. The learned Athenians called Paul a "babbler." Paul himself said that the "preaching of the cross is foolishness to them that perish." But no one called the love of the Christians foolishness. And the way the Christians lived and loved was what opened pagan hearts and closed pagan temples. Eventually, even the emperor became a Christian.
II. Christians must be Loving People
The questions we ask today are: How can we close the temples of secularism? How can we open the hearts of paganism? The answer is: the same way those early Christians did. By the way we live. By the way we love.
The New Testament calls the way we live our "walk." "Walk in love as Christ loved us." "Whoever claims to live in Him, must walk as Jesus walked." "Walk in the light as He is in the light. While I am doing my daily walking, I often talk out a sermon I am to preach or an article I am writing. The thought struck me the other day that this is the way the New Testament stipulates that we are preach and witness the gospel. We are to talk as we walk. The way we walk must give credibility to what we talk. We cannot do the talk without doing the walk. The text says that we must walk as Jesus walked. But how did Jesus walk? The gospels record that Jesus "saw the multitudes and had compassion on them." The disciples didn't see the multitudes, at least not like that. But Jesus saw them.
At the pool of Bethesda, Jesus saw a man who had been ill for 38 years waiting by the pool to be healed. Jesus saw him and asked him, "Do you want to be healed?" The disciples didn't see the man, at least not like that. But Jesus saw him. Jesus saw the hungry masses and fed them. The disciples didn't see them, at least not like that. But Jesus saw them.
When a person has cataract surgery, the old natural clouded, distorted lens is removed. A new lens is implanted. The person now has 20/20 vision. What he could not see, he now sees and sees clearly. We all need cataract surgery. The old blurred lens of the flesh through which we see only ourselves is removed. The lens of Jesus' vision is implanted. Now we see people as Jesus saw them. We see them in their need. We care for them. We witness to them. We minister to them. If they are hungry, we feed them. If they are sick, we are there to help. If they are grieving, we are there to listen, to love, to care. We "rejoice with those who rejoice. We weep with those who weep."
I recently did a research document on how churches may help to prevent divorce and minister to the divorced and their children. I prepared a survey instrument that was submitted to numerous church people who have been divorced. The responses revealed that most of us don't see the divorced and their children in our churches. And if we do, we fail to minister effectively to them. So they are left to struggle with their pain and anger alone.
One survey question asked: "Following your divorce what were major adjustments you had to make about your church. Almost half of the respondents said:
"I felt estranged and alone in church."
Over half said: "I felt few understood or cared."
Many said, "I felt like an outsider." "I felt I was labeled." "I felt guilty when I came to church." "I felt like a sinner."
The survey also revealed that two chief problems facing the divorced when they returned to church were: "sitting by myself in church" and "fitting in with my pre-divorce married friends."
Church people can address these hurts. But first we must have eyes to see. We must see the divorced people in our churches and their children. We must see people as Jesus saw them. The ministry the divorced ask from us is not complex.
To the survey question: "What could your Sunday school class have done that would have helped you?" the respondents replied with simple answers:
"They could have phoned to check on me."
"They could have dropped by to see how I was doing."
"They could have just sent a card."
One respondent said, "I was not a Christian when I was divorced. But I started going to church and the church and pastor cared for me and also for my children. They ministered to us. Without their love and support, I would not be a Christian today, and neither would my children."
That church and pastor were walking and talking the gospel.
III. Christians must Love People Completely
How do you walk when you walk as Jesus walked? In conflicts, you practice grace not law.
The New Testament says, "Forgive others as God in Christ forgave you." The word translated "forgive" has a broad meaning. It is a verb form of the noun "grace." So we could translate the verse, "Grace one another as God in Christ graced you." That is, practice the same grace toward others as God in Christ practices toward you. And grace knows no boundaries.
Under the Old Testament law, love your neighbor meant, "Love your family." Leviticus says, "Love the sons of your own people." Thus to love my neighbor meant to love those who are like me and who love me. But when they asked Jesus, "Who is my neighbor that I should love as myself," Jesus replied, Love the Samaritan whom you reject, scorn and despise.
The law also says in conflicts you apply the maxim, "an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth." But grace says, “Don't retaliate. Turn the other cheek.” Jesus said, "You have heard it said, love your neighbor and hate your enemy, but I say love your enemies." That is precisely how Jesus walked. "For while we were yet enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of His Son. (Romans 5:10).
And Peter said, "Never repay evil for evil, or insult for insult. Instead always replay evil by being a blessing."
Have you ever noticed that when somebody does you wrong, that in the next few weeks the Lord presents you an opportunity to show love to that person and be a blessing?
My secretary has a problem neighbor. His antics have included such acts as: He threw his Christmas tree in the front yard and left it there for months. He grows huge sunflower bushes in his front yard. When his dogs dug under the fence, instead of repairing it, he stuck a few old paint cans in the hole. He cut a hole in the screen door for his cat. My secretary wanted to confront him and tell him off. Instead she baked him a cake. She walked as Jesus walked. She returned good for evil.
So how do you walk when you walk as Jesus walked? When someone won't speak to you, you speak anyway. When you are criticized, you compliment. When a person is stingy, you are generous. When he is hostile, you are kind. When she is inconsiderate, you are gracious. When he is vindictive, you are merciful. When he sues to take your coat, you give him both your coat and your overcoat.
When she treats you maliciously, you buy her a present. Paul said, "Bear with one another." One translator has it as: "Put up with one another." And Paul added, "Forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord has forgiven you." Living a life of continual forgiveness--that is the way Jesus walked.
The supreme example is while on the cross after being mocked, beaten and now crucified, He prays, "Father forgive them..." Peter comments on that scene: "If you suffer for doing good and you endure it, this is commendable before God. To this you were called. Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example that you should walk in his steps. He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth. When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate. When he suffered, he made no threats. Instead he entrusted himself to him who judges justly. He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed" (I Peter 2:20ff).
Think of that person who has done you wrong. Can you forgive that person right now? I don't mean conditional forgiveness that includes a lot of "ifs." IF he takes the initiative and says I'm sorry...IF she will apologize...IF he admits he was the one who was wrong, then I will forgive. That is not the way Jesus forgave. "While we were still sinners, Christ died for us...When we were God's enemies, we were reconciled to Him by the death of His Son." In fact, in the cross God forgave the sins of the world. All that remains is for individual sinners by faith in Christ to accept the gift of God: the forgiveness of sin.
The second century church leaders put temporal boundaries on God's forgiveness. They preached that God's forgiveness is limited to pre-baptismal sins. Serious sins after baptism, they said, are unforgivable. The church people, as usual, were smarter than the theologians. They said, "OK, if that is the way it is, we will just delay our baptism." Often we practice the second century church theology. Some sins we will forgive. Others we won't. But Christ's forgiveness has no temporal boundaries.
All our sins were nailed to Christ cross. And we are to walk as Jesus walked. We are to forgive others the way He forgave us. He said, "If someone sins against you seven times a day, and seven times a day, he returns to you saying, I am sorry, forgive him." So return to that person who has done you wrong. In the same way God in Christ forgave you, forgive him. Forgive with no conditions attached. Forgive with no time limits installed. How do you walk when you walk like Jesus?
Recently I have been struck by how many times the New Testament exhorts us to be gentle. One of the fruits of the Spirit is gentleness. We are told to be "completely humble and gentle." We are urged to "let your gentleness be evident to all." And "as God's chosen people" we are to clothe ourselves with "gentleness." And Paul says, "By the gentleness of Christ, I appeal to you." Read the gospels and see the gentle Jesus. When the disciples were ushering little children from His presence, Jesus said, "Let them come to me." And "he took them in his arms and blessed them." The gentle Jesus.
While they make accusations against the woman taken in adultery, Jesus quietly wrote in the sand. And he said, "Let him who has no sin, cast the first stone." And when all the hypocrites had sneaked away, Jesus asked the woman, "Where are they? No one condemns you do they?" She replied, "No one Lord." And he said neither do I condemn you. Go and sin no more." The gentle Jesus.
Christians have always struggled with the problem of upholding Biblical moral standards and being compassionate and forgiving to transgressors of those standards. Often we are caught in the either/or syndrome. Either we are strong advocates of the standards and hostile to the transgressor or we parrot the buzz word "inconclusive" to excuse our amending or downgrading the standard.
Neither of the approaches is acceptable. Paul spelled out the correct approach.
First, "If someone is caught in sin, work to restore that one." Don't ignore the standard. Don't accept behavior that transgresses the standard. To the contrary, work with the transgressor to restore him and his behavior to the standard.
Secondly, while you seek to restore the transgressor to the standard, you don't judge, condemn or reject him. No, you restore him "in a gentle spirit." And you keep an eye on yourself. For you can be tempted too. How do you live when you live by the ethic of Jesus?
I know a high school student who has trouble with tests. She is not in the honor society. She is not among the "elite." At a pep rally she asked some girls if she could sit with them. They said, "You? Sit with us?" Then they all laughed. The girl was once more humiliated. She told her grandmother," Grandmother, sometimes it is so hard being me." Yet, most of those girls were in church next Sunday. But they have never grasped the basic principle of the ethic of Jesus.
How do you live when you live by the ethic of Jesus? You are gentle, loving and kind. You are courteous and humble. You never speak evil of anybody. You are always looking for ways to be helpful to everybody. You never add to the burdens of others. Instead you help people bear their burdens. You share with those in need. You work at your job as if God were your employer. You love God, not money. You seek first God's kingdom. You rid yourself of prejudice and bias. You never return evil for evil. You seek for ways to do good those who hate you or dislike you. You never forget how important doing little things for others is remembering Jesus' words about the value of giving a cup of cold water in His name. In sum, you live a life of love.
IV. The Christian must Love completely in Order to Reach the Lost
Now return with me to the beginning of the sermon. If we walked as Jesus walked, would the unbeliever, the secularist, the cynic, the critic be attracted to the gospel. The New Testament answers with a resounding "Yes!"
Listen to Peter. "Live such a good life among unbelievers that although they speak derogatively of you as wrong doers-that is, they criticize, reject or spurn you because you are a Christian-they nevertheless will "observe your good works and glorify God"(I Peter 2:11ff). There are no easy short cuts to evangelism. Winning this world to Christ will not occur by our merely reciting the gospel. We must live the gospel. We must not only talk. We must walk. For we will not live to see the world come to Christ until the world comes to see that Christ lives in us.
When I was a child, my mother and I would go back to her childhood rural home in another state. While there we attended the rural church of her childhood. One Sunday, my mother and I had arrived at church one afternoon to attend the evening service. As the sun was setting, the church was getting dark. I looked around for lights. There were none. And I exclaimed to my mother, "Mama, there are no lights in the church." She said, "Son, don't worry. The people will bring the light." And they did. As car after car drove up, the people would bring in their kerosene lamps, put them on a stand. Soon the darkness was dispelled. The church was full of light.
Thick darkness now plagues our nation and world. The darkness can be dispelled. But it will only be dispelled when the people of God bring the light. So let us "walk in the light as He is in the light." Let us be the light of His love. Let us shine that love on everybody.
