03.08.2009 - Tilly and the Tsunami - Understand/Unlock/Unleash the Mystery

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Good morning - welcome - I'm glad each and every one of you are here, even if you might have known I was speaking :). Mike is out of town this morning, and he asked me to speak today. A few months ago, he told me that there is a preaching class being offered by Trinity (TEDS) through The Chapel that I would really enjoy - and he was correct - I have really enjoyed it. This sermon is something that I tried out on them, and I have had a lot of time to think about this - and I want you to know this is a solid B+ sermon! (cheers and applause). I have had a lot of time to think about this - and God has really spoken to me over the past month and I am really encouraged to share this with you this morning.

Here is a photograph of Danes Hill School - in Oxshott, Surrey, England - and I'm guessing that it is not too much different from this place (photo of Grace Summit) - and here is Andrew Kearney - geography teacher at Danes Hill School and he was giving a lesson in mid-December 2004 about tectonic plates, and seismic activity and oceans and waves - I'm sure it was all very interesting. One of his students - here - Tilly Smith - she was 10 years old - I'm not sure if she really saw the relevance of this geography class in the middle of England on that cold December day. We'll come back to Tilly in a little bit - let's pray:

Father, God, we want to thank You for the opportunity to open Your word to unlock the mystery that you have hidden from previous ages and generations but has now been revealed in Jesus Christ. We ask that You would open our hearts - give us ears to hear - Lord, I want to hear something new, even as I share this.

Let's look at Colossians 1: 25-29

25 Of [this church] I was made a minister according to the stewardship from God bestowed on me for your benefit, that I might fully carry out the [preaching of] the word of God, 26 [that is,] the mystery which has been hidden from the [past] ages and generations; but has now been manifested to His saints, 27 to whom God willed to make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. 28 And we proclaim Him, admonishing every man and teaching every man with all wisdom, that we may present every man complete in Christ. 29 And for this purpose also I labor, striving according to His power, which mightily works within me.

I'd like ot highlight - verse 26

the mystery which has been hidden from the [past] ages and generations; but has now been manifested to His saints,

What is that mystery? That is Christ in you - what does that mean?

One of the things I have been taught is to ask, what does that mean? First of all -

"Mystery" doesn't mean mystery - like in a mystery novel. A better translation might be a Secret - God had a secret and he has revealed it in Christ. In the Old Testament, they had pictures of Christ - shadows of Christ - and some prophecies about it that wouldn't really make sense until you got to Christ Himself. Then, in the NT, when Christ is revealed, He is the solution to that mystery - He is the answer to that secret. So the first thing we need to do is to UNDERSTAND the mystery. The mystery of Christ in us - how can we understand what that means? First of all - one of the things I have been taught, when you read a section of Scripture, you need to first understand what the words mean. But even before that, we need to be getting into our Bibles - reading our Bibles to understand this mystery. What do the words mean? What is the context in which it is written - not only the context of the sentence but of the chapter, and the book. You might want to look at other sections written by the same author. For example - Luke wrote the gospel of Luke and The Book of Acts. Sometimes you might want to look at how a word is used in Acts to define how the word is used in the gospel of Luke. Then, of course, we need to look at the whole Biblical context - does this fit with the entire Bible?

Also, we need to ask God to help us understand it.

Let's continue with the story of Tilly.

She and her family went on holiday - they were British, so they didn't go on vacation, they went on holiday - to a beach in Thailand. Her family was taking a walk on the beach and Tilly looked at the water and noticed that it was not ebbing and flowing like it was supposed to - and it was kind of frothy. I've done some more investigation of this - and this picture is captured from a Youtube video - where Tilly is explaining that her teacher had explained that the water would be frothy, like the head of a beer. I guess Mr. Kearney did know how to make it interesting! So the water is sizzling, and foaming - and Tilly kept saying, it's the water, it's the water. She tries to convince her parents that there was going to be a tsunami. But as they walked along - they're on vacation - they had never seen a tsunami before - "you're ten years old, what do you know?" and they continued walking...

First we need to understand the mystery - then we need to unlock the mystery. In unlocking it - we need to ask God to help us to understand things. Let's go on to the next scripture. I love Luke 24. Earlier in the chapter, it talks about the 2 disciples on the road to Emmaus. I don't know if you've ever noticed this - but after the resurrection, nobody recognizes Jesus. Mary thought He was the gardener. These two disciples...picture this...Jesus comes up to them - they don't recognize Him - and they're like, "Are you the only one around here who hasn't heard about this Jesus who was crucified, and as they walked along the road, Jesus explained to them all the Old Testament scriptures - from Moses and the prophets - that were written about Him. And it wasn't until later when they were breaking bread, that their eyes were opened to recognize Who Jesus really was. Later in Luke 24, it says

45 Then He opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, 46 and He said to them, "Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and rise again from the dead the third day; 47 and that repentance for forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in His name to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem.

You know, as Mike has shared about what the early church looked like, and how our church needs to start looking like the early church - or as I like to say - to excel still more - in looking like the early church. They started in Jerusalem - and then on to Samaria - and then to the uttermost part of the earth - and here we are today.

I was reading a devotional on Facebook yesterday - His Face, His Book - written by Christine Kimball - daughter of Tom Short - She told of her dad, who is often in India - and he'll go to a remote village and tell people about Jesus, and they'll put their faith in Jesus Christ. It is an awesome thing. Then they'll ask him, when did this happen - When did Jesus come to earth and die for us and be raised from the dead - when did this happen? When he tells them 2000 years ago, they are heartbroken - they are just now coming to tell us of this that happened 2000 years ago -they are sad for their relatives who have died without the knowledge of Christ. So we need to ask Christ - as we go to read our Bibles - That is the first thing - to be reading our Bibles - and then to ask Christ to open our hearts to understand it. So, first we need to understand the mystery, then we need to unlock the mystery, and finally, like the people in India who are finally hearing the gospel - we need to unleash that mystery to them.

Let's go back to Tilly - Tilly and her family are walking along the beach in Thailand - she notices the water - her family is not listening - so finally - she gets so frustrated and plops down on the beach and says she is not going any farther until we go back to the hotel. The dad agrees to take her and her little sister back to the hotel - but the mom continues to walk on the beach - I'm sure, with a wary eye toward the horizon.

They get back to the hotel, and the dad goes to the security guard and says, "You might think that I am absolutely bonkers - but my daughter is completely convinced that there is going to be a tsunami." There was a Japanese man standing nearby - Tilly says - because he was Japanese, probably picked up on the word tsunami, which is a Japanese word - which means, like, giant wave (literally - harbor or port wave) - but he said, I believe the little girl is correct, earlier today, there was an earthquake in Sumatra. Something in proclaiming the truth - that is really helpful - and I encourage you, as you are sharing with your friends - is the power of networking. First, Tilly had to convince her dad - once she convinced him - he goes to the security guard, but even at that point, the dad is like, 'you know...you might think I'm crazy - but as we share the gospel with people, we might think that they think we are crazy - but, as they come to understand the truth of the gospel, they will understand as well that it all makes sense - it all fits so perfectly together - the OT and NT and Christ fulfilling and being the answer to that secret - they will understand that and understand that we are not 'absolutely bonkers' - but the point I was making - the power of networking. If you are sharing the gospel with someone or sharing what you are learning from the scripture - it is very valuable to have someone else on your side - someone who is with you - or other believers in this person's life - or for you to come along and say - "I have found that to be really true in my life" How powerful and valuble that is! As you think about your friends who don't know the Lord, think about people - maybe in this body - who have similar interests to their interests - where you can network and bond and forge a community where someone is loved - and where the gospel can go forth because of - where two or more witnesses are, the truth is more firmly established. So anyway - they convince the security guard - who sounds the alarm and clears the beach. Just as this 30 foot wall of water is approaching the beach, the mom is running and screaming 'grab the kids, grab the kids.' - they managed to scramble to the 3^rd floor of their hotel before the full force of the water could come through. Can we go to the video clip - look at the force of this water...

Good thing Tilly was there. 250,000-270,000 people died that day. 5000 on the shores of Thailand alone. But at that hotel, and on that beach, not one soul was lost - because - a little girl had a little knowledge, and some passion and conviction and a willingness to stand up for what is true to make sure that beach was cleared. Now the question begs to be asked - Where are you? Are you enjoying a day at the beach, walking along, thinking that nothing is wrong? Or have you sought shelter on the higher ground? Maybe you're on the top of the hotel looking out, feeling bad for all those people out there who don't know, but here comes the wave and they're all getting washed away. Where are your friends and family?

28 And we proclaim Him, admonishing every man and teaching every man with all wisdom, that we may present every man complete in Christ.

Another thing I have been taught - when something repeats - you want to pay attention to that. Every man - repeats 3 times. What does that mean? To me, it means that beyond the congregation, and the pastors to be proclaiming this - but we - each one of us needs to be proclaiming this and teaching it and helping each other out as well. It means that - Not only your co-workers, but your neighbors, and everyone you meet falls into the "every man" category. It might not just be the gospel we are talking about - it might be - certain areas of someone's life where they are struggling. Sometimes we are blind to the areas we are struggling in - or we think that everyone else is blind to the areas we are struggling in - and how helpful is it for a brother to come alongside a brother and to say - Hey dude - what is up with this.

Admonish - means to sound the alarm. When the security guard went out on the beach, he was admonishing the people on the beach - warning them - sounding the alarm that something big was coming. Sometimes it is difficult - because we don't want to interrupt someone's nice day at the beach. But - are we willing to step out - and say - here is a truth - here is a secret - a secret that has been revealed and fulfilled in Christ.

Let's continue -

Colossians 1: 28 And we proclaim Him, admonishing every man and teaching every man with all wisdom, that we may present every man complete in Christ.

And the reason I have said that a third time now - that is our church's mission verse

29 And for this purpose also I labor, striving according to His power, which mightily works within me.

Here's the deal - we can't do it on our own - we can't live the Christian life on our own - we can't proclaim it or teach it on our own - we need His power - It goes back to the mystery - right back to the beginning - the mystery is Christ in us. Don't miss this: Christ died for our sins - Christ rose from the dead - and we who put our faith in Christ - we all believe that. When we put our faith in Christ, Christ comes to dwell within us. That is what it means to be born again - In John 3, Nicodemus comes and asks Jesus what does it mean? And Jesus says you must be born again, both of water, and of the Spirit - when you put your faith in Christ, you are born of the Spirit - the Spirit comes to dwell within you - so it is no longer we who live, but Christ living in us.

Galatians 2:20 says "I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the [life] which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me, and delivered Himself up for me.

Perhaps one of the best illustrations I have heard of this concept was given last weekend at the high school retreat by my good friend Dave Brunelle. Dave is the pastor of a church that we helped to plant called The Rock Cleveland - he was speaking at the retreat - he said - you know - I could probably go out and find a stylist who could style my hair like Lebron James. And I could probably go out and find a tattoo artist, who could give me some of the same tattoos that Lebron James has. I could go out and do some of the same basketball drills that Lebron does. But you put me on a basketball court - and I am not Lebron James - However - if Lebron James were to put on a Dave Brunelle suit - or a Jeff Yackley suit - or any of you - he could look like you - but could still do the things he could do.

John 14 - Jesus said - if you have faith and believe you will do the things I have been doing. Even greater things than these will you do because I go to the Father. What? If we have faith and believe, we'll do the things Jesus did? And even greater things? What?

When Jesus was on earth, He could only be in one place at one time. But when He died and rose from the dead, and we put our trust in Him, and He gives us the Holy Spirit - then Jesus - His work and mission can be accomplished throughout the whole world.

Even greater things than these will you do - and then He goes on to explain how He will send the Holy Spirit - to work in us and to remind us of the things that He taught us.

29 And for this purpose also I labor, striving according to His power, which mightily works within me.

I love the commentary on these words here - according to His power - His energy - which mightily works - is energized - It is like His power - His energy is energized in me. We can't do it on our own - we need His power to work in and through us.

So we need to first understand the mystery, to unlock the mystery and then to unleash that mystery.

I'd like to take a minute to pray - But before we do - I'd like everyone to bow their heads - and think through your own life - if there is anything that God is putting His finger on that needs to change. And then, think about your friends - Where are they in their spiritual journeys? What is the next step - What barriers are there that can be removed - that God has given you some insight, through reading His word - that you can help to remove. Think about these things.

Father God, thank You for this secret that You have revealed to all who have put their trust in You. Lord, for anyone who has not yet come to understand that secret - that by the power of Your Holy Spirit - that You would reveal Yourself to him or her. I pray that the understanding of the gospel - the good news - that Jesus took our sins upon Himself and was crucified, bearing the full brunt of the punishment for sin, that we no longer have to experience that when we put our trust in Him. Lord, for those of us who have come to understand the mystery - Lord, we fall so short of the wisdom of maturity - being complete in Christ - we ask that You would give us quality time in Your word. We ask that You would ignite, and fan into flame, Your Spirit within us - that we would have greater understanding as we read Your scripture - that Your Spirit would speak to our spirit, and explain to us what the scripture means. Lord - as we go to proclaim it - to unleash it - that You would give people ears to hear - and even though they might think that we are 'absolutely bonkers' - that we could show them that sometimes the truth - Lord, You said Your wisdom is foolishness to men - that we could show them the truth of the gospel. Lord, even as we enter this Easter season - that people would be more receptive to hear what You have done - and that You would fill each of our hearts with joy when we recognize how we have been saved. We pray each of these things in the power of the mighty Holy Spirit and in the Name of Jesus - Amen.