Erosion

This is the Queen’s Head formation in Northern Taiwan.  The interesting thing about it is that it as created by erosion.  That word erosion means to diminish or destroy by degrees; especially, to gradually eat into or wear away. 

Water from centuries of tides rolling in has worn away at the rock and created this formation.  The problem is that the government is afraid that in a short time the neck will erode to the point that it can no longer hold up the head.  It will fall over and be gone forever.

Erosion is a real force that takes place in nature, but if we aren’t diligent to guard against it, it can also take place in the church.  In fact, I believe that it takes place in the heart of every Christian and must be constantly checked. (By checked I mean stopping its progress.) Erosion can and will take you right out of the will of God and rob your church of its vitality and forward progress.

In this post I want to look at erosion that took place in David’s life and how it could have been avoided. 

2 Samuel 11:1-5 (NKJV)
^11:1 It happened in the spring of the year, at the time when kings go out to battle, that David sent Joab and his servants with him, and all Israel; and they destroyed the people of Ammon and besieged Rabbah. But David remained at Jerusalem. ² Then it happened one evening that David arose from his bed and walked on the roof of the king's house. And from the roof he saw a woman bathing, and the woman was very beautiful to behold. ³ So David sent and inquired about the woman. And someone said, "Is this not Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam, the wife of Uriah the Hittite?" ⁴ Then David sent messengers, and took her; and she came to him, and he lay with her, for she was cleansed from her impurity; and she returned to her house. ⁵ And the woman conceived; so she sent and told David, and said, "I am with child."

The Erosive Attitude

So, this scripture is a snapshot of erosion taking place in David’s life.  This is after he has defeated Goliath fearlessly.  The Bible says he ran to the battle.  This is after he defeated the Jebusites through cunning and an ability to think outside the box.  This is after he’s led the troops out numerous times to defeat the enemies of God in power and authority.

All of those things, fearlessness, thinking outside the box, and acting in power and authority are signs of zeal.  That word zeal means eager interest in the pursuit of something.  In other words, you’re thinking about what you’re doing.  You’re trying to do your very best because of your excitement about what you’re doing.

That’s where David was in the beginning.  David’s zeal was for the kingdom of Israel; for the things of God.  You cans ee it in his actions.  But something has gone wrong here.  David has become complacent:  he’s backed off.  He’s no longer involved and that’s where the erosion begins.  This is critical for us to see;  Spiritual erosion always takes place when we back off:  When we stop being committed to the will of God:  When we stop acting out the calling of God that’s on our lives.  Take a moment to think about what you’re doing.  Are you acting out the call of God on your life or have you become like David?

David is thinking, “I’m king.  I don’t have to do these things anymore.  I can let someone else handle it.”  So, he let Joab do it.  The words, “I’m tired, I need to rest.”  “I just don’t feel like it.” are signs of the beginning of spiritual erosion.

So David begins to go down a path that leads to sin and problems.  His first mistake, we can call it sin, is with Bathsheba.  He’s not focused on God’s calling any longer.  He’s drifted into focusing on himself. 

This is so interesting; David has begun to focus on his own desires.  He’s no longer thinking of the welfare of Israel, so he stays away from the war.  He’s focused on his own issues.  His focus has become selfish, and that’s an opening the devil can exploit.

The devil begins to wear away at your zeal, your faith and finally, your ability to resist sin.  It’s dangerous to start walking away from the things of God.  That’s erosion beginning to take place in your life.

Think about the Queen’s Head formation illustration for a moment.  At one time there was a cliff, a strong, sturdy outcropping of sandstone.  It was attached to main island, but the relentless action of the ocean began to undercut the stone until now there is only a sliver of stone left supporting the boulder and in time that sliver will be worn away and the Queen’s Had will collapse.

The same thing can happen in your salvation.  People will say, “I’m a mature Christian, it won’t happen to me,” but David was a powerful example of a man after God's own heart and it happened to him, and the time when that erosion began was when David backed away from God’s calling.  God had called him to be king, but he stopped doing what kings did. 

Where are you?  Are you still pursuing excellence in your service to God or are you beginning to back away?  “I don’t need Bible Study.”  “I don’t need to be at church.”  “Outreach is a waste of time.”  Are you still zealously pursuing God’s calling on your life, or is erosion starting to take place? 

People never suddenly wake up and say, "Today I’m going to commit adultery.  I’m going up on the roof to see who’s taking a bath."  Instead, they begin to back away from commitments:  Being willing to commit to anything, and dropping the ball on previously made commitments.  Erosion takes over until their relationship with Jesus is supported by a thin thread and in danger of collapse. 

Salvation is a process.  It takes place in our lives over time.  In other words, our relationship Jesus builds over time and that’s how change takes place in our lives.  It doesn’t happen all at once.  Attitudes and other mindsets have to be broken and that usually takes place of time.  I want you to know something, though.  Backsliding is also a process.  It also takes time to happen.  There is a time when it starts, and that time is when you begin to get complacent, or like David when you begin to back away from God’s calling on your life. 

That’s when you begin to think, “I’m in ministry, but the standards of ministry aren’t necessary.  They’re just rules that are imposed.”  “I’m in ministry but I don’t have a responsibility to be an example for others.” and you begin to drift farther and farther away.  The dangerous part is that you don’t even realize that you’re drifting away.

It’s like Samson.  Samson violated the standards of his vow: The vow of a Nazirite. Look what eventually happened:

Judges 16:20 (NKJV)
^16:20 And she said, "The Philistines are upon you, Samson!" So he awoke from his sleep, and said, "I will go out as before, at other times, and shake myself free!" But he did not know that the Lord had departed from him.

He’s operating under the assumption that he’s right with God, but God has departed from him.  That’s a dangerous place to be.  The Philistines grabbed him and put his eyes out.  He was blinded.  The devil will blind you to reality if it will work in his favor.

Your Actions Don’t Affect Just You

So, let’s get back to David.  David has stepped away from his calling.  He’s sinned with Bathsheba and she has become pregnant.  So, now David has a problem. He’s the king; he’s committed adultery with the wife of Uriah the Hittite, one of his mighty men.

How does he deal with this?  First, he brings Uriah home so that he can sleep with his own wife, and it will look like he’s the one who made her pregnant.  But, unlike David at this point, Uriah is an honorable man and he won’t go home and sleep with his wife, while the troops and the Ark of the Covenant are sleeping in tents on the battlefield.  So, when that fails, David tries to get him drunk, but Uriah still won’t go home to his wife.  Look what happens next:

2 Samuel 11:14-17 (NKJV)
^11:14 In the morning it happened that David wrote a letter to Joab and sent it by the hand of Uriah. ¹⁵ And he wrote in the letter, saying, "Set Uriah in the forefront of the hottest battle, and retreat from him, that he may be struck down and die." ¹⁶ So it was, while Joab besieged the city, that he assigned Uriah to a place where he knew there were valiant men. ¹⁷ Then the men of the city came out and fought with Joab. And some of the people of the servants of David fell; and Uriah the Hittite died also.

David has drifted far away from God’s will.  He’s committed adultery, and now he’s killed an innocent man, in order to cover it up.  He’s backslidden; he’s away from God.

It’s not just his sin, as horrible as it is.  It’s not just Uriah’s death.  Now he has included Joab in this.  He’s brought someone else along with him, in his drift away from God. 

2 Samuel 11:18-21 (NKJV)
^11:18 Then Joab sent and told David all the things concerning the war, ¹⁹ and charged the messenger, saying, "When you have finished telling the matters of the war to the king, ²⁰ if it happens that the king's wrath rises, and he says to you: 'Why did you approach so near to the city when you fought? Did you not know that they would shoot from the wall? ²¹ Who struck Abimelech the son of Jerubbesheth? Was it not a woman who cast a piece of a millstone on him from the wall, so that he died in Thebez? Why did you go near the wall?'--then you shall say, 'Your servant Uriah the Hittite is dead also.' "

Here’s what’s interesting about this:  Joab receives an order to put Uriah where he will be killed.  He can’t just do that.  If he does then everyone will know.  Think about it, he can’t just put only Uriah in harm’s way, because then people will know that he did it on purpose.  Joab has to protect the king’s order. 

He has to make it look like the fortunes of war, so he sends the troops up to the wall knowing that they’ll get killed.  That’s why he says, “If David gets angry then say, ‘Oh by the way, Uriah the Hittite was killed.’”  David wanted Uriah dead, and he would know that that was what Joab had to do to keep the secret.  David has dragged Joab into this.  He has killed Uriah, but other men also had to die to protect the king’s secret.

When we, as Christians, do something against the will of God it affects a number of other people, as well.  This thing went from David didn’t want to go to war, to Joab murdering Uriah the Hittite and a number of other men to protect David’s adultery. 

Whom does the erosion of David’s calling affect?

Bathsheba – She couldn’t turn the king down in his indecent proposal.

Uriah – An innocent man murdered because he was unwilling to allow his own standards to be eroded.

And Joab – He also couldn’t turn down the order of the king, so he ruined his reputation as general and murdered valiant men.

None of us reading this are kings.  None of us have that kind of power, but we do have influence.  There are people who look to us for leadership.  For men, it is our wives, children and new converts in the church.  For women, it’s the younger women, newer converts.  We have a responsibility to wield our influence in a positive direction.

Titus 2:6-8 (NKJV)
^2:6 Likewise exhort the young men to be sober-minded, ⁷ in all things showing yourself to be a pattern of good works; in doctrine showing integrity, reverence, incorruptibility, ⁸ sound speech that cannot be condemned, that one who is an opponent may be ashamed, having nothing evil to say of you.

Titus 2:3-5 (NKJV)
^2:3 the older women likewise, that they be reverent in behavior, not slanderers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things-- ⁴ that they admonish the young women to love their husbands, to love their children, ⁵ to be discreet, chaste, homemakers, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be blasphemed.

David has ignored his responsibility.  We must be careful not to allow ourselves to be eroded., so that we don’t influence people away from God.  Are your actions helping to move people into God’s will, or are you showing them that it’s okay to avoid the things that will bring them closer to God?

Erosion Can be Stopped

If you drive in the mountains of Taiwan often, you’ll see places where the highway department has taken steps to stop landslides and erosion.  They’ve erected barriers made of concrete.  They’ve put up nets to hold the soil into the mountain.  They have put things in place to protect motorists from the effects of erosion.

First, we need to stop the erosion that's taking place. If you look at the beginning of the next chapter, God has sent Nathan to rebuke David.  So, Nathan tells him the story of a man with many sheep who kills his neighbor’s pet sheep.  He’s comparing David, with his wives and power to the man with many sheep.  David is taking the Uriah’s only wife and love and misusing her. 

When Nathan finishes with the story, David is enraged and Nathan points to him and says, “That man is you!”  Look at what God says to David through Nathan:

2 Samuel 12:9 (NKJV)
^12:9 Why have you despised the commandment of the Lord, to do evil in His sight? You have killed Uriah the Hittite with the sword; you have taken his wife to be your wife, and have killed him with the sword of the people of Ammon.

Why have you despised the commandment of the Lord?  He’s asking David, "Why have you cared so little for your calling, and look at the effect?"  If David had done what he was called to do, this never would have happened.  God traces it all the way back to that one decision to begin tom drift out of God’s will.  Some people reading this have made decisions to drift.  Some of you have made the same decision as David, not to do what you’ve been called to do.  Erosion has already begun in your lives, so now you need to stop it.,  You need to do what David did.

2 Samuel 12:13 (NKJV)
^12:13 So David said to Nathan, "I have sinned against the Lord." And Nathan said to David, "The Lord also has put away your sin; you shall not die.

David repented and God put away the sin.  Repentance stops erosion.  After all of this David began to do the right thing.

2 Samuel 12:26-30 (NKJV)
^12:26 Now Joab fought against Rabbah of the people of Ammon, and took the royal city. ²⁷ And Joab sent messengers to David, and said, "I have fought against Rabbah, and I have taken the city's water supply. ²⁸ Now therefore, gather the rest of the people together and encamp against the city and take it, lest I take the city and it be called after my name." ²⁹ So David gathered all the people together and went to Rabbah, fought against it, and took it. ³⁰ Then he took their king's crown from his head. Its weight was a talent of gold, with precious stones. And it was set on David's head. Also he brought out the spoil of the city in great abundance.

David no longer stayed away from the battle.  He took his place as king and began to lead Israel, once more.  David got blessed because he turned back to the will of God. 

We can all have issues, but it doesn’t have result in permanent failure.  Things can go back to the way they were.  It’s a decision that we make each and every day.

There’s one last thing I want to point out.  Bathsheba and Joab had to do what the king ordered or die.  That’s how it works with kings.  If David would kill an innocent man to cover up his own sin he would kill them just as easily.  They could have made a stand and said, “it’s not happening,” but there’s a risk to making a stand.  If there’s an influence on you that you know isn’t right, then you need to make a stand.  God will hold us accountable for our decisions, regardless of the influence on us.  God held David accountable you can read about it in 2 Samuel 12:15-23.

God can move all of us forward, if we’re willing to apply God’s calling to our lives and remain in the calling.

Photo source:  http://pictures.traveladventures.org/images/cn/yeliu-geopark04

Passion

Jack London, the author of adventure books, such as The Call of the Wild and White Fang was passionate about the kind of life that he wanted to live.  He described it this way; “I would rather be ashes than dust!  I would rather that my spark should burn out in a brilliant blaze than it should be stifled by dry rot.  I would rather be a superb meteor every atom of me in a magnificent glow, than a sleepy and permanent planet.  The proper function of a man is to live, not to exist.”  Jack London lived his life with passion.

It’s better to burn out than to fade away, my, my hey, hey. – Neil Young

What kind of person are you? Are you willing to step out and take a risk?  Are you the type that would rather be ashes than dust, or do you want to play it safe?  Never venturing out and risking for what God wants to do in your life and through your life? 

It’s interesting what happens to us as we age.  When we’re young we’re filled with excitement.  We aren’t afraid to take a risk.  We aren't afraid to do things that would frighten people.

Former president George W. Bush when he was asked about his college lifestyle, responded with these words:  “When I was young and irresponsible I was young and irresponsible.”  How many of us could say the same thing about certain times in our own lives, but we grow out of it.  We mature with age, and one of the things that happens to us as we age and acquire things is that we become settled and unwilling to risk the things we care about.  We begin to look at passion as irresponsible behavior. 

Charles Mallory was once asked why he wanted to climb Mt. Everest.  “Because it’s there,” he answered.  In his day that caused quite a clamor because he was married and had children.  People thought that it was an irresponsible act for a man with children.  He was obsessed with the idea of standing on the highest mountaintop in the world.  He was passionate about what he did.  He was passionate about who he was.

He wasn't afraid to do whatever it took to stand on that mountain and that passion cost him his life.  I want you to know, though, there’s room for passion in our lives.  Much of what makes life interesting and exciting is the passion for life that’s in us.

When I took my first job after college at Davis Waste Removal Company in Davis, Ca there was a young man there who would prepare himself every day before leaving on his route.  He would stand next to his truck in the morning, or in the break room, or anywhere there was people and say:  “I’m fired up…I’m gonna do it.  I’m fired up!”  If you asked him how he was doing when you saw him in the morning, he would say, “I’m FIRED up!”  It was infectious, after a while every one was saying it, “I’m fired up!”  This guy loved his job.  He was passionate about going to work.  It was a workout for him and it made the job exciting.

His passion not only helped him to be successful, but it worked on all of us who worked alongside of him.  We all loved our jobs.  There’s room for passion in the things of God.  In fact, it’s a requirement of Christ, that we be passionate about his calling on our lives.

Someone once said, “Apostasy makes Jesus unhappy but it is passivity or the lack of passion that makes him angry.

Today I want to post on maintaining passion in our day and hour, from this portion of scripture:

Revelation 3:14-22 (NKJV)
^3:14 "And to the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write, 'These things says the Amen, the Faithful and True Witness, the Beginning of the creation of God: ¹⁵ I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I could wish you were cold or hot. ¹⁶ So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth. ¹⁷ Because you say, 'I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing'--and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked-- ¹⁸ I counsel you to buy from Me gold refined in the fire, that you may be rich; and white garments, that you may be clothed, that the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed; and anoint your eyes with eye salve, that you may see. ¹⁹ As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. Therefore be zealous and repent. ²⁰ Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me. ²¹ To him who overcomes I will grant to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne. ²² He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches." ' "

The Laodicean Age

This scripture is an indictment of the church as it is today.    Our Time is a time in history when churches are goal oriented, and purpose driven.  They have a mission.  The question is, “Is it the same vision as the builder of the church.”  It really bugs me when people from other churches try to win away people from our church to theirs.

This always happens when people first get saved.  Someone witnesses to you and you come and get saved and suddenly…everyone you know is a Christian.  They all start inviting you to their church.  They never mentioned they were Christians before.  You never knew that they even went to church, but now they want you to go to THEIR church.

In our church we’re trying to reach the lost.  We’re trying to touch people who don’t have Jesus.  Why do people want to try to reach their friends in other churches?  I think what we’re seeing is the idea that people want to respond to the command to preach the Gospel but that there is a fear that holds them from reaching out to people they don’t know.  It’s always easier to talk to someone who’s like-minded, especially when it’s something that might be a bit controversial.  What did our parents teach us?  Never talk religion or politics, right?  Why not?  For one thing, those things are things that we’re likely to be passionate about and passion makes people uncomfortable, so they just try to avoid the controversy.

I've heard a lot of strange things.  I've heard people “witnessing” about the Starbucks that shares their parking lot.  Our church in Riverside had a booth at the city’s market night.  People would come to our booth and invite us to their church.  It was like they were standing outside our door and outreaching for their church.  In fact, one time we did a music outreach INSIDE the church building and some people came inside and passed out flyers for their church.

The modern church is in danger of being like the church in Laodicea, a church that has lost its passion and willingness to risk for the Gospel to move forward.  How did the Laodicean church lose its passion?

Revelation 3:17 (NKJV)
^3:17 Because you say, 'I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing'--and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked--

Laodicea was the wealthiest city in Asia Minor.  They produced garments made out of black wool.  The wool wasn't dyed black the garments were made from wool that occurred naturally in the sheep of that area.  It was a wealthy enough city that in 61 AD when there was a destructive earthquake the people rebuilt on their own, refusing to accept money from Caesar.  They were a wealthy and self-sufficient people.

This is a reflection of the church world today.  Prosperity has become the measure of success for a church.  The church has stepped into the Laodicean age.  This is what churches are becoming in our times.  They’re wealthy with the world’s goods:  Huge buildings, beautiful grounds and all the latest technology.  They believe that they’re spiritually enriched:  That because of the crowds and the resources that they’re blessed of God because of their spirituality.  They have need of not even one thing.  They are self sufficient; “God has blessed us.”

That’s the same way the Laodiceans must have felt.  Have you ever witnessed to rich man?  You tell him all that God wants to do for him and he has no need of God…and then tells you why.

“God has given me everything I have.”

That sounds eerily familiar, doesn't it:  “I’m rich, I have increased in goods, I have no need.”

What is God’s response in this:  “You do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind and naked…”

The Laodiceans had become comfortable because of their prosperity.  They became passive; they didn’t want to risk what they had.  God hates passivity.

Revelation 3:15-16 (NKJV)
^3:15 I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I could wish you were cold or hot. ¹⁶ So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth.

You know Oolong tea should be served at exactly 85 C (185 F).  If you allow the tea to get cooler that that it changes the taste of the tea.  I can tell you from experience that lukewarm Oolong tea is not good.  If it’s hot it’s good; if it’s cold, it’s good.  Lukewarm is not good, though.

Another way to say passion is fervent desire.  The word fervent implies glowing, burning, boiling passion.  This is the calling of the church:

Romans 12:11 (NKJV)
^12:11 not lagging in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord;

God is refreshed by our passion, our fervency for his commands and His calling on our lives.  He doesn't want a tepid, lukewarm response.  He’s looking for passion.  There are three things that have happened to Laodicean church:

1. They lost their passion and fervency for the faith.  There’s no longer an excitement for the things of God.
2. They have become arrogant; conceited.  We’re rich, increased in goods.  We must be the church that God has called us to be because we’re so blessed.  Jesus reminded that they’re wretched, miserable, poor, blind and naked.
3. Finally, they’re Christ-less, Jesus isn't a part of the church.  He’s outside knocking looking to be allowed in.

This isn't the church that Jesus had in mind when He began the church, but this is the church it has become and even more so in our time.

Where a Passionate Church Begins

Eric Liddell, an Olympic Gold Medal runner and missionary to China unlocked the secret to the passionate life.  His was a model of passion as described by Paul in:

Colossians 3:23-25 (NKJV)
^3:23 And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men, ²⁴ knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance; for you serve the Lord Christ. ²⁵ But he who does wrong will be repaid for what he has done, and there is no partiality.

During Liddell’s university years that phrase, “Whatever you do,” centered on running, on being the fastest possible.  Afterward his life focused on his missionary work in China.  He did them both “heartily” – flat out, wide open passionately – “as to the Lord.”  Passion causes us to approach all the activities of our lives the same way Liddell did.

What’s the secret to a passionate church?  The secret to a passionate church is passionate people.  Where does passion in a person come from?  It comes from a decision to be passionate:  Just like Eric Liddell made everything he did as if he was doing it for the Lord:  Just like my trash collector friend made a decision to get “Fired up!”  What decision have you made?  Is your faith passionate?  Are you going flat out, wide open?  Or are you holding back?

There is a place near where I grew up called, Carnegie Cycle Park.  It was place where off-road motorcycle riders would go because there were a lot of trails and hills to climb.  There was one particular hill that my friends called, “The Drag Hill.”  The hill was nearly a 45% grade, and covered with loose rock.  The strategy was to make a run at the hill with the throttle wide open in the highest gear and power your way all the way to the top.  You had to stay on the throttle all the way.  If you let off it was over, you’d never make it and would probably crash.  I saw this happen often enough. 

Too often in the things we do for God, we start out full throttle, full of power and speed determined to make the run.  Some guys, though, see something and they let off on the throttle and never make it.  I’m talking about people who've said they want to do something for God, but somewhere along the line they've let off the throttle: Lost the speed and momentum and the opportunity to make a mark for Jesus.  They are even in danger of losing the kingdom.

Often the problem is the same as for the Laodiceans.  People begin to think, “I’m comfortable.  I don’t want to risk the prosperity I've already received or the prosperity I’m working toward, because I put God first in my life.”  When that happens passion is turned into passivity and finally complacency and you are in danger of falling out of salvation, altogether.  Here’s a little truth for you.  If your not trying to move forward in your salvation, you WILL fall back.

Passion begins in individuals.  Revival is started in each of our hearts.  When there is a revival in each of us the church will begin to experience revival.  Passion is the same way.  If we’re all personally passionate then the church is passionate.  If we the church is passionate then we can do something.

One of my friends was pioneering a number of years ago.  He had a young man come in and get saved at one of his outreaches.  He came into the church and locked in, then he brought his girlfriend.  Then her mother came.  This young man began to get excited about the things the church was doing.  A passion the preach the Gospel got all over him, and so he began to street preach and witness to other young people and the church exploded as young people came in and got saved and began to follow in this one kid’s footsteps.

It started with one kid’s passion about preaching and spread to all of his friends.  These guys would get saved and see the passion in the others and they’d think that’s what being a part of the church was all about.  When your friends come an see what you’re doing what’s their impression of church?  What do they think your church is all about?  Do they think it’s a LAID BACK church?  I certainly hope not.  I've been called a lot of things in my life, but laid back has never been one of them. 

The Loadicean church was a laid-back church and it made God want to puke.  We need some wide-open, full throttle disciples.  Passion is what come from within each of us.  Are you passionate?

How do we Become Passionate Individuals?

Elisha is a great picture of passion for the things of God.  On the day Elijah was taken up he couldn’t shake Elisha. 

2 Kings 2:1-2 (NKJV)
^2:1 And it came to pass, when the Lord was about to take up Elijah into heaven by a whirlwind, that Elijah went with Elisha from Gilgal. ² Then Elijah said to Elisha, "Stay here, please, for the Lord has sent me on to Bethel." But Elisha said, "As the Lord lives, and as your soul lives, I will not leave you!" So they went down to Bethel.

2 Kings 2:6 (NKJV)
^2:6 Then Elijah said to him, "Stay here, please, for the Lord has sent me on to the Jordan." But he said, "As the Lord lives, and as your soul lives, I will not leave you!" So the two of them went on.

He saw Elijah taken up in a whirlwind and received the mantle.  Elisha was passionate about receiving the promise of God.  He held on to Elijah to see what God had for him.  He wanted a double portion of that.  In the end he did twice as many miracles as Elijah.  How dow e become like Elisha?

There are three ways to maintain our passion:

1. Stretch Yourself. 

President John F. Kennedy once said:

Only those who dare to fail miserable will achieve greatly.

Only those who would rather go out in a blaze than be stifled in dry rot will be able to do what needs to be dome to achieve.  If you want all that God has for you, you need to be willing to risk to get it all.

2. Spend time with passionate people.

Remember the illustration about Davis Waste Removal or about the nTeenagers who had such passion?  What got everyone going in both those instances was the passion of someone else.  Passion is contagious; it spreads to everyone around it.  My children always tell my wife, “We’re bored.”  Brenda has the right answer, though, “You’re not bored, you’re boring.”  She’s not really trying to insult them, she’s just saying that their bored and don’t have the energy to do anything, because they have no passion for anything.

3. Look for something to get excited about.

Some of us need to get our heart rates up about something; anything.  Are you not excited about what God has done in your life?  Do you know all that God has planned for you?  No, some of it’s going to be a surprise.  Do you think that God has something good for you?  Do you want to see it all come to pass?  Maybe you need to be passionate about seeing it through.

Want to have something to get excited about?  Look at this:

Revelation 3:21-22 (NKJV)
^3:21 To him who overcomes I will grant to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne. ²² He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches." ' "

To him who overcomes I will grant to sit on my throne.  The throne of the King of the Universe; we can sit there if we overcome.  Overcome what?  Overcome what the Laodicean church needed to overcome, their lack of passion for the things of God.  That’s what we need to overcome in the modern church as well. 

I want to be able to come to church and hear people say, “I’m fired up!  God’s going to so something today and he’s going to let me be a part of it… WHOA, I AM FIRED UP!”

Passion!

Sleepwalking Through The Kingdom

A number of years ago, I was living on the San Francisco peninsula, between San Jose and San Francisco. Because of my proximity to San Francisco I would often have visitors. On one occasion some friends, a couple came from San Diego for a visit.. So, we went to spend the day in the City. But we had to get back to San Jose at a specific time for their flight home. We left a little late from San Francisco and we’re driving down the freeway and the woman who was with us fell asleep in the back seat of the car. We arrived at my apartment with only a few minutes for them to pack, and we had to wake her up. But the problem was she didn’t wake up. She opened her eyes, she walked into the apartment but she was sound asleep. If you’ve never known a sleepwalker then you can’t understand how this works. They have their eyes open; they look like they’re awake mostly. But their mind is in a completely different place. And so we told her to pack up and she walked into the bedroom and threw one piece of clothing into her suitcase and she thought she was packed. So my friend packed for her and I did my best to keep her from laying down because she would not have woken up in time to get to their flight. Finally, we got to the airport and they got on the plane and made it safely back to San Diego.

What an interesting moment! If you had seen her walking around you might have thought she was a little different but you would never have guessed she was sound asleep. I’ve known a number of sleepwalkers and I’ve heard stories of things they’ve done. It’s such an interesting phenomenon because they go through the motions but they never actually complete anything.

In my firend’s mind she had completely packed her suitcase, but if she had tried to wear what she had packed she would have been woefully unprepared to meet the world. Today I want to talk about sleepwalking through the kingdom from this portion of scripture:

Judges 16:16-21
16 And it came to pass, when she pestered him daily with her words and pressed him, so that his soul was vexed to death,17 that he told her all his heart, and said to her, “No razor has ever come upon my head, for I have been a Nazirite to God from my mother’s womb. If I am shaven, then my strength will leave me, and I shall become weak, and be like any other man.” 18 When Delilah saw that he had told her all his heart, she sent and called for the lords of the Philistines, saying, “Come up once more, for he has told me all his heart.” So the lords of the Philistines came up to her and brought the money in their hand.19 Then she lulled him to sleep on her knees, and called for a man and had him shave off the seven locks of his head. Then she began to torment him, and his strength left him.20 And she said, “The Philistines are upon you, Samson!” So he awoke from his sleep, and said, “I will go out as before, at other times, and shake myself free!” But he did not know that the LORD had departed from him. 21 Then the Philistines took him and put out his eyes, and brought him down to Gaza. They bound him with bronze fetters, and he became a grinder in the prison.

Sleeping in the Midst of Danger

Here we see Samson. Samson is a Nazirite. That mans he has taken a vow of holiness before God.

Judges 13:5
5 “For behold, you shall conceive and bear a son. And no razor shall come upon his head, for the child shall be a Nazirite to God from the womb; and he shall begin to deliver Israel out of the hand of the Philistines.”

So this is the vow he has taken: The vow of a Nazirite. There are three components to the Nazirite vow.

1. The Nazirite does not cut his hair.
2. The Nazirite doesn’t drink strong drink (any alcohol) or touch anything from a vine and,
3. The Nazirite cannot come into contact with dead bodies.

It is a way of giving yourself completely to God’s purpose for you. In fact, we can see in Judges 13:5 that God did indeed have a purpose for Samson.

"he shall begin to deliver Israel out of the hand of the Philistines.”

The Nazirite vow is really a picture of salvation. When we get saved that’s what we’re doing. We’re giving our lives over to his use. Have you ever heard the phrase, “He gave his life to Jesus?” That’s why we say that he becomes our Lord. We are in a sense making a vow that we will live out his will. This is the meaning of the Nazirite vow. You and I are Nazirites.

So, Samson, here, has made a commitment to the will of God. But when we find him in our text he’s asleep, and very far outside the will of God. On the outside he still looked like a Nazirite, but if you could see his heart you would see that he’s backslidden. Think about this for a moment. He is living in sin with Delilah. He’s not thinking about the things of God but he is concerned about his flesh. His love of Delilah and the physical pleasures are of more concern to him at this moment than his relationship with God.

The question is when did he go to sleep? When did he begin to sleepwalk through his salvation? The Bible tells us that he didn’t even know that God had departed from him. That alone tells us that he’s no longer sensitive to what God is doing in his life. He’s going through the motions but he’s not conscious of what he’s doing. He’s like my friend he’s packed that one piece of clothing but he’s not prepared for the trip. So he completely misses that God has departed from his life and it comes at a critical moment, which is when the enemy attacks.

How many times have we seen this exact same thing? People looking and talking like they’re saved. They’re talking about how they’re serving God. But if we looked more closely at their lives we would see that they have no idea what the will of God is for their lives.

Samson thinks that because he hasn’t cut his hair that his strength will always be there. But I want you to to know his strength comes from the commitment he's made to God. The strength comes from the presence of God in his life. You can say I still know God, but this story tells us that if you’re not in the will of God, God can depart from you and you don’t even know it.

This wasn’t a sudden event. It didn’t just happen in the last few moments before this event. He had been sleepwalking for some time. In Judges 14 Samson killed a lion. The lion attacked and the Bible says that the Spirit of God came upon him in power and he tears the lion apart with his bare hands. But then he makes a mistake. He loses sight of his vow.

Judges 14:8-9
8 After some time, when he returned to get her, he turned aside to see the carcass of the lion. And behold, a swarm of bees and honey were in the carcass of the lion.9 He took some of it in his hands and went along, eating. When he came to his father and mother, he gave some to them, and they also ate. But he did not tell them that he had taken the honey out of the carcass of the lion.

He’s come in contact with a dead body. He’s broken the vow, he’s no longer sanctified. When we do something that would be considered sin, God doesn’t always react violently. He doesn’t throw lightning bolts at us. Sometimes, he just continues to move in our lives and we see no real change.

I was thinking about famous television Preachers who have sinned they often continue to preach and God continues to move in their words. And so they think nothing’s changed. But they are no longer hearing from God. They’re preaching out of their own knowledge and understanding and God is able to use it because God is still faithful to move in the hearts of his audience. God is still trying to draw them to Him. He’s not moving in the man that’s preaching but in spite of him. The backslidden preacher may see people being affected by the preaching and think that God is still speaking to him and through him. He doesn’t realize that because of the sin God has departed from him. This is where Samson finds himself. This is why he doesn’t know that God has departed from him. He sees himself being able to shake off the bonds and defeat the Philistines, anyway. He’s sleepwalking.

Where was it that Samson fell asleep? It was in the moment he began to hide his sin. Remember verse 14:9 “But he did not tell them he had taken the honey out of the carcass of the lion.” That moment right there is when it began to happen. God was no doubt dealing with him. How do I know that? Because he knew it was a violation of the vow and he chose not to tell anyone. He knew it was sin and he hid it from the others. God was dealing with him to repent, but he chose to ignore Him. At that moment he is being insensitive to the will of God and pretty soon he’s even insensitive to the presence of God in his life.

So in our text we find him in bed with Delilah. Delilah represents sin. Samson is living with her; he has a relationship with her. He looks like a Christian but he’s living like a sinner. He thinks he can beat the sin, that he can escape the consequences of sin that God will be with him no matter what, because he has taken that vow in the past. So he sleeps comfortable in that idea and he is overwhelmed and taken by the Philistines.

This whole thing is true for us as well. When we begin to turn away from the word and will of God we begin to do things that aren’t right. Nobody knows what we’re doing and we choose not to be open about it. We hide the things we’re doing that we know are wrong from the others in our church. That’s a decision we make not to confess it. God deals with us and we don’t repent, we still see things happening and think that God has overlooked the sin, but we are only sleepwalking. At that point we are as insensitive to the will of God as Samson, and we will also find ourselves overwhelmed by the Delilah in our lives.

Sleepwalking in Christianity will lead to backsliding. Samson is taken by the Philistines. The Philistines in our text represent the deadly influences of the world. We become more and more worldly until we are captured and blinded by the world. “The Philistines took him and put out his eyes.”

This is how Christians live like sinners thinking they’re saved. Because they have become blinded to the things of the world, that are taking place in their lives. “I know that the Bible says fornication is a sin, but God wasn’t talking about our fornication. We’re committed to each other. We’re in love; we’re married in the eyes of God.” Hello, You’re walking around with a suitcase containing only one piece of clothing. You better wake up and get packed, because you’re already tripping.

This Guy Must Have Been Dreaming

I can just see Samson sleeping there. He’s got his head in Delilah’s lap. He’s smiling that little smile. He’s sleeping the sleep of the ignorant, isn’t he? We can see how intimate his relationship is with her. He’s told her all that’s on his heart. Who do you tell those things? Not a casual acquaintance, you tell those things to your spouse or your lover. He’s in love with this woman. He’s emotionally intimate with her. He’s telling her all that’s on his heart. This is how deep his relationship with sin has become. He thinks he can handle her… and the Philistines. “I can handle it, I still have my salvation.” In Samson’s thoughts, “I still have my hair I can handle it. Sin, the world, whatever, I can handle it because I still have my hair.”

His hair represents his relationship with God. He is always able to defeat the enemy while his hair is long, but once his head is shaved the Philistines capture him.

How’d he get to this place? It’s through ignoring the will of God. We saw that he began to be unaccountable for his behaviors. He didn’t disclose the honey from the lion. He wasn’t willing to admit to the sin. He became unconcerned about his actions. But this didn’t take place early in his salvation this took place years later. In Judges 13:5 when he took the vow he was a baby, but when he eats the honey he’s an adult. He’s a mature man, he’s off to get married. This takes place in mature Christians. This isn’t a thing that happens to new converts. New converts tend to be alive and awake; eager to hear from God. They’re open to whatever God is trying to do in their lives. But it is the ones who’ve been around for a while. They become restless, maybe or bored. They become sleepwalkers.

They’re like Samson; over and over they’ve witnessed the power of God moving in their lives. It is those of us who’ve been delivered from a few things that take a nap; we fall asleep in the midst of danger.

This is where Samson is at this point. He’s sleeping, even though he’s been attacked several times, already. Look at what he says in verse 20:

“I will go out as before, at other times, and shake myself free!”

He’s always relied on his relationship with God; on the power of God to deliver him. So he sleeps thinking God will always deliver me. While he sleeps contentedly, they cut his hair, his relationship with God is broken and he doesn’t even realize it until it’s too late. He’s captured and blinded by the world.

Our testimony is the outward sign that we wear that we’re sanctified. It is the symbol of our salvation; that we’ve been delivered from whatever sin to which we were enslaved. In our spiritual sleep we turn back to our sin.

How many that are reading this have been delivered from something; maybe even more than once? For some of us it seems like God is always right there to help us out. And we begin to rely on God’s strength and deliverance. And so we begin to drop our guard and rest peacefully, allowing sin to come in and destroy our relationship with God

“Then she lulled him to sleep on her knees, and called for a man and had him shave off the seven locks of his head.”

This is the danger; that we will become so restful in the power of God that we think we can do anything and God will be there to help us. But the fact is that God hates sin and he will not wink at sin in the lives of his people. The Bible tells us that God departed from Samson.

Sleeping Through the Alarm.

I’m a very light sleeper. I wake up when a mouse sneezes. And because of that lightness of sleep, I have never been a sleepwalker. People who sleep walk are so fast asleep that nothing wakes them up. One of my friends one time walked outside into the garden. Then went back into the house and went back to bed. And the only way she knew that was that she woke up and her feet and sheets were all muddy

Samson is a heavy sleeper. Someone came in and shaved his head and he slept through it. Have you ever slept through a haircut? He must have been a pretty heavy sleeper.

He also wasn’t too aware of what was happening around him. Delilah called the Philistines on him three times. The King James Bible says she yelled The Philistines be upon you and men who were hiding in the room burst out trying to grab him. You know, I think that if my wife called out Philistines get him, after three times I might begin to get suspicious, I may even be alarmed. But Samson sleeps right through the alarm.

What is the alarm that’s ringing for us? It’s alarms like preaching on sin. Unfortunately the whole church world is sleeping through their alarm. In many churches you wouldn’t hear a sermon like this preached. In fact, I’ve had people tell me, “Religion should never be a burden.” Religion isn’t a burden, but a relationship with God requires that we remain in his will and not our own. There are many churches that aren’t preaching on the danger of sin anymore.

Look what ultimately happened to Samson.

Judges 16:21
21 Then the Philistines took him and put out his eyes, and brought him down to Gaza. They bound him with bronze fetters, and he became a grinder in the prison.

They put out his eyes and attached him to a big wheel and he walked around and around pushing a huge stone and grinding corn. This is what happens to those who allow themselves the luxury of becoming intimate with sin and captured by the world. They wind up blindly going in circles. The sad part is that many of them are still in church. You know who they are, they’re the ones who can’t seem to escape sin. They’re continuing to run in circles and never getting anywhere. They can’t be trusted with ministry. They can’t break certain habits. They always have one foot in the church and one foot in the world, but I want you to know that there is hope.

Samson’s hair grew back.

Judges 16:22
22 However, the hair of his head began to grow again after it had been shaven.

The relationship with God was restored and God used him for exactly the purpose that he had indicated to his mother when He called on her to make the vow on Samson’s behalf.

"he shall begin to deliver Israel out of the hand of the Philistines.”

His power was restored and he took out many Philistines as he brought their temple down on them. If we have fallen asleep it isn’t too late to wake up. It isn’t too late to heed the alarm. You can wake up and step into the purpose and destiny that God has for you without having to go through what Samson went through. Can you hear the alarm?