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Bob Dylan. For a
few albums, he wrote some pretty great Christian songs (if you
can call any of his music "great"). He sure had it
right, though. Whether or not you are aware of it, you and I
are serving somebody. Whether or not you choose to, you and I
are serving somebody.
What is so
challenging about Dylan’s song is that it covers all
classes. Listen to some of the words:
You may be an
ambassador to England or France.
May like to gamble, you might like to dance.
You may be the heavyweight champion of the world.
You might be a socialite with a long string of pearls.
But you’re
gonna have to serve somebody
Yes, indeed, you’re gonna have to serve somebody.
It may be the devil or it may be the Lord,
But you’re gonna have to serve somebody.
You might be a
rock-n-roll addict prancing on the stage.
You might have drugs at your command, women in a cage.
You may be a businessman or some high degree thief.
They may call you doctor or they may call you chief.
But you’re
gonna have to serve somebody…
It smacks in the
face of the American Dream, whose goal is to be served. But
whether you clean dirty toilets or climb corporate ladders,
you serve somebody. The American Dream finds some of its roots
in the thinking of Emmanual Kant, the father of "The
Enlightenment." Think for yourself, he wrote. Be an
individual. How about you? Yes, I’ll be an individual too!
Yea, me too! It has been repeated by every generation. Even in
pop culture. Our grandparents listened to the lines of the
song by Frank Sinatra. He crooned: "What is a man? What
has he got? If not himself, then he has not. I took a chance,
I did it my way." Then, in our parents’ generation,
came Elvis. He sang the same song as Frank: "What is a
man? What has he got? If not himself, then he has not. I took
a chance, I did it my way." Yes! Be an individual, be
unique. Now there are Elvis impersonators everywhere—all
being unique. It’s in our generation. Sid Vicious sang the
same song. It’s just a matter of time before someone else
comes up with it, too.
Christianity makes
a bold claim: Unless you
and I are serving Christ in our lives, we are serving
spiritual forces of wickedness, evil powers of this world, and
sin.
Listen to the
question asked out of our hymnal of people coming to be
baptized. The pastor asks: "On behalf of the whole
church, I ask you: Do you renounce the spiritual forces of
wickedness, reject the evil powers of this world, and repent
of your sin? The answer: I do."
This weekend we
talked about how you "unlearn" serving the spiritual
forces of wickedness and sin. The only way we can do it, is by
faith in Jesus Christ. Thus, the second question in baptism:
"Do you accept the freedom and power God gives you to
resist evil, injustice, and oppression in whatever forms they
present themselves? The answer: I do."
Then: "Do you
confess Jesus Christ as your Savior, put your whole trust in
his grace, and promise to serve him as your Lord, in union
with the church which Christ has opened to people of all ages,
nations, and races? I do."
I do. Let’s see…I’ve
heard that somewhere before. The vows we take before God are
the same vows we take when we enter into marriage. It’s that
serious, and that important. Did you know that in many Muslim
countries, the government has made it illegal to convert to
Christianity and be baptized? What is there for them to fear?
The empowerment, the truth of the Gospel, the freedom that
comes from a relationship with Christ. Remember, too, that it’s
not just any relationship. It’s like a marriage
relationship. Forsaking all others. We ask: "Do you put
your whole trust in God’s grace and promise to serve
him as your Lord?"
Notice that we put
our whole trust in God’s grace. It is because of God’s
faithfulness that we can be assured of salvation and heaven.
It has nothing to do with ourselves. It is because "God
so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that
whosoever believes in him shall not perish but have
everlasting life" (John 3:16). Why is it that we have
such a hard time putting our whole trust in Jesus Christ?
For a long time,
Jerry had admired Kate—a really attractive girl who rarely
dated anyone. He dreamed of dating her, but it took weeks to
work up the courage to ask her out. When he did, he was
surprised at how graciously and warmly she accepted. He wished
he’d asker sooner. He learned she was an outgoing person,
fun to be with, and she seemed to enjoy his company.
The following
week, Kate readily accepted Jerry’s invitation to a second
date, which turned out to be even better than the first –
until they stopped for something to eat. Embarrassed, he told
her he couldn’t afford much besides hamburgers. She assured
him that she loved hamburgers.
Unfortunately for
Jerry, she hated the smell and taste of onions. In fact, she
was allergic to them. This was a real problem, because Jerry
just had to have onions on his burger! He loved onions!
Suddenly faced with this dilemma, Jerry pondered what to do.
Do I order onions? What’s more important to me? The girl or
the onions?
Kate clearly liked
him and wanted to continue the relationship. She was
everything he ever wanted in a girl. But to give up onions!
"Maybe I can have both," Jerry thought to himself.
It was time to order. He had to make a decision. "Two
burgers, please. Hold the onions…on one of them."
Jerry never saw
Kate again. She didn’t return his phone calls or seek him
out at school. Their relationship was clearly over. Sadly, he
discovered too late that you just can’t have your Kate and
eat onions too.
Joshua, at the end
of his life, was speaking before the people of Israel. He
reminded the people of the very first Commandment, "You
shall have no other gods before me," because the worship
of God cannot be combined with idolatry. It’s hard to
imagine the Israelites worshiping other gods after they had
experienced so many of the Lord’s great miracles and
victories. But Joshua called the people to give undivided
loyalty to the Lord as the only way to experience God’s
presence and blessing in the future. Joshua told the people to
be honest with themselves and declare their allegiance. Though
Joshua said, "Choose for yourselves," he didn’t
intend to encourage idolatry. He was confident that the very
thought of making a commitment to an idol would be so
abhorrent to them that they would take a stand against it.
Some of those
other gods had a lot of appeal, though. The fertility cult of
the Amorites, with its bizarre and immoral practices, was
attractive to the Israelites who were now settling down to
farming after so many years of wandering. And listen to Joshua’s
response. It’s not just an individualistic response:
"As for me and my house…." As a father and
husband, that line alone makes me responsible for my children.
It is my duty as a father and husband to give my kids what
they need—not just physically and socially, but emotionally
and spiritually. Are they equipped to live out the Gospel?
They are in my house, they are worshiping with me. What are we
afraid of? I had a conversation with a mom who refused to be
swayed by her son’s arguments of not wanting to go to Youth
Encounter Weekend, nor by other parents who said: "How
can you make them do something they don’t want to do?"
She and her husband have taken seriously this promise.
And there is a
cost. We can’t do it alone. We need the grace God showed us
through Jesus. But it is a choice, and it’s a choice we make
every day. Who will you serve today? If you and I don’t
choose, it will be chosen for us. S. Rickly Christian writes
that at the heart of life’s every decision, even the most
difficult ones, are some fairly simple yes-or-no questions.
Each situation we encounter, every alternative we face, can be
reduced to either a yes or a no.
Should I get up
when the alarm rings? Should I go to school? Should I eat
breakfast? Should I talk to my dad? Should I smoke? Should I
kick that bad habit once and for all? Should I go to the
party? Should I have a beer? Yes or no?
Throughout the day
we make thousands of such decisions. Should I ask Becky out?
Should I stay home and save money? Should I order an
all-you-can-eat platter of shrimp? Should I stick to my diet?
Should I wear black shoes? Should I get married next year?
Should I wait? Yes or no?
The necessity of
making yes-or-no decisions is inescapable. All of the great
historical decisions have been made, in the end, by a simple
yes or no response. Should the colonies fight Mother England
for their independence? Should the North declare war on the
South? Should the United States respond to Japan’s sneak
attack? Should we drop the Bomb?
The most important
decision you will ever have to make in your life—the one
that determines your destiny for all eternity—also comes
down to yes or no. Do you believe Jesus is the Christ, the Son
of God? Do you think he was just some nut with delusions of
grandeur? Do you believe he died for you on the cross? Was he
just an idealist in a bathrobe and sandals who was killed for
stirring up controversy? Do you believe he loves you? Well, do
you? Answer the question: Yes or no?
Eternal life is a
simple decision. But it’s so important that the angels of
heaven have their ears cocked to hear your response. What will
it be? Just say yes or no. "Choose for yourselves this
day whom you will serve. As for me and my house, we will serve
the Lord."
Amen.
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