Walking through the pieces sermon (Nov 7th 2012)

Last week (Nov 7th) I had the opportunity to preach during a revival service at my church.  The heart of my sermon was a story told in Genesis 15, which I find to be one of the most moving stories in the Bible.  

This is the outline I used while preaching

Intro

Ø  I LOVE TO FLY

v SCRIPTURE

ONE

v God Initiates

v God calls, we believe

TWO

v God Commands, we jump

Ø  The difference between point one and two

Ø  James, clean your room

Ø  Walking through the pieces

THREE

v SHORT POINT

Ø  My third point is easy for us…

Ø  GOD does all the work…we are blessed

CONCLUSION

Ø  God initiates the Call…all we have to do is believe

Ø  God initiates the Command…we have to jump

Ø  God does all the work…We are blessed

v A Couple Bible stories

Ø  John 21:4-10

Ø  Mark 10:46-52

Ø  Luke 5:21-26

Ø  Genesis 22:1-12

This is basically the sermon (although I ad-libbed "a bunch")…

Intro

Ø  I Love to fly

When I was a kid I loved to fly.  I would get one of Mom’s good towels.  Tie it around my neck and drag it around in the dirt behind me.  Three were three trees in our yard that were perfect for a take off, and I would climb these trees and jump.  I flew around the yard, around the city, and around the world.  I loved to fly.

But…one day.  I don’t know why it happened, but with out reason I never wore a cape again, and eventually I forgot how to fly.

Somewhere I lost my ability to see, and I forgot how to fly.

I realized…there is no Superman.  Flying is a childhood fantasy.  I was just being silly

But back when I flew… I felt alive.  When I was flying, I heard a voice deep inside.  It was warm and inviting.  It was wild and dangerous.  It pushed me to risk, and it spurned curiosity.  The playful voice I heard was God.  And when I put down my cape, if was the first time that I hinderers my ability to hear God

Ø  MY CHILDREN

Now I am a father and let me share with you what my children bring to the table…

Danger, risk, playfulness, curiosity, wild, irresponsibility, terror, naivety, and childlike faith.

Ø  SCRIPTURE

Genesis 15:7-21

4 Now the word of the Lord came to him: “This one will not be your heir; instead, one who comes from your own body will be your heir.”

5 He took him outside and said, “Look at the sky and count the stars, if you are able to count them.” Then He said to him, “Your offspring will be that numerous.”

6 Abram believed the Lord, and He credited it to him as righteousness.

7 He also said to him, “I am Yahweh who brought you from Ur of the Chaldeans to give you this land to possess.”

8 But he said, “Lord God, how can I know that I will possess it?”

9 He said to him, “Bring Me a three-year-old cow, a three-year-old female goat, a three-year-old ram, a turtledove, and a young pigeon.”

10 So he brought all these to Him, split them down the middle, and laid the pieces opposite each other, but he did not cut up the birds.

11 Birds of prey came down on the carcasses, but Abram drove them away.

12 As the sun was setting, a deep sleep fell on Abram, and suddenly great terror and darkness descended on him.

13 Then the Lord said to Abram, “Know this for certain: Your offspring will be foreigners in a land that does not belong to them; they will be enslaved and oppressed[a] 400 years.

14 However, I will judge the nation they serve, and afterward they will go out with many possessions. 15 But you will go to your fathers in peace and be buried at a ripe old age.

16 In the fourth generation they will return here, for the iniquity of the Amorites has not yet reached its full measure.”

17 When the sun had set and it was dark, a smoking fire pot and a flaming torch appeared and passed between the divided animals. 18 On that day the Lord made a covenant with Abram, saying, “I give this land to your offspring, from the brook of Egypt to the Euphrates River:[c] 19 the land of the Kenites, Kenizzites, Kadmonites, 20 Hittites, Perizzites, Rephaim, 21 Amorites, Canaanites, Girgashites, and Jebusites.”

ONE

v God Inititates

In verse 4 it says the word of the Lord came to Abraham.  We need to recognize that God calls and seeks out Abraham.  He initiates.  This is the way God works.  He initiates relationship with His people.  He initiates relationship with you.

• This is the same caring God who sweeps the house looking for His lost coin,
• the same loving Father who runs and embraces His prodigal son
• the same compassionate shepherd who leaves behind the 99 to find His 1
• this is the same God who is always actively and passionately pursuing relationship with His people.  pursuing relationship with you!

We do not jump ahead

It does not say God calls and we make a plan, create a list, and get to work.  At this point we just believe.  There is no action in God call.  God simple tells us that he is going to do something, and we need to believe it.

If you know the story, later on Abraham does sin, jump ahead of God, and get to work trying to fulfill God’s promise.  He begins to doubt God’s promise.  The son God promised had not come and his wife is barren, so he sleeps with his wife’s slave in order to fulfill God’s promise.  He has a son named Ishmael.  This sin of taking matters in his own hands causes strife in his marriage, and his son Ishmael lives in hostility with everyone. 

Genesis 16:12 says about Ishmael:  He will be a wild donkey of a man; his hand will be against everyone and everyone’s hand against him,
and he will live in hostility toward all his brothers.”

The whole process was pointless because God, of course, does what He said and Abraham has another son, (the one He planed on giving Abraham) Isaac, who the promise is fulfilled through.  So later on Abraham is sinful, but here in Genesis 15 he correctly believes and waits on the Lord. 

So... God calls…We believe

TWO

God Commands, we jump

v THE DIFFERENCE BEWTEEN POINT ONE AND TWO

The second part of the sermon is “God Commands, we jump”. Let me give the difference between the first point “God calls” and the second “God Commands”.

“God Calls” is without direction

“I will bless you”

“I will put you in ministry”

“I am going to move in you”

“I will make a nation of you”

“God Commands” is with direction”

“Pursue Youth ministry”

“I’m calling you to help the poor”

“You will be going to seminary”

“You will sing at church”

This is where we get stuck. 

God calls us “without action”, and we believe and wait on the Lord.

Then God commands us “With action”, and we believe and wait on the Lord some more.

Ø  Story about James cleaning his room

If God is calling you to youth ministry…then jump

If God is calling you to help the poor.  Then jump…go do it!

If God says you will be going to seminary.  Don’t wait.  Jump!  Go get some applications.

If God says you will sing a song at church, then don’t wait on Him to tell you which song.  Just jump-pick your song-practice your song- and go sing.  (maybe he will pick your song along the way, maybe not)

Ø  Imagine that I tell my son to go and clean his room.  He says “yes sir” and walks out of the room.  A couple hours later I check on him and the room is still a mess.

“Did you hear what I asked you to do?”

“Yes, sir.  You said “James, go clean your room”, and I sat down and worked to memorize you words” Next I took some time to ponder the words, and what your words meant not just when you told me, but also now, here, in my room, an hour later.  Then I got my two brothers and my sister and we sat in a circle talked about your words.  And we studied you words and what they mean.  And then we thought what a great clean room it all of us would live out the words you spoke.”

Ø  Do you think I would let my son get away with that?  Then what makes us think God will?

When God commands us, we jump.  When He gives us a small piece.  We do not contemplate the piece.  We don’t beg for the rest of it.  We act on the piece.  Even if it is…

Dangerous, Risky, Even if we don’t have the money to do it, Even if it makes no sense

v WALKING THROUGH THE PIECES

God gives Abraham a command to begin a ceremony which is in Hebrew is called the “diatheke”, but we will call it “walking through the pieces”.

Abraham recognized the ceremony God was asking his to do.  It was a known practice of that area and region.  You will notice in the passage that God did not give Abraham instruction.  Abraham seemed to know what he was supposed to do

The purpose of this ceremony was to seal a covenant between to parties.  It was often done to seal the terms of a treaty between countries.  It was used to agree on the resetting of borderlines after a war.

But the most common use of the ceremony was between the fathers of two families whose children were marrying.  The Fathers would make a very serious vow between them, and the breaking of the vow had equally serious consequences.  Lesser of the two parties (the brides father) would place a cow, a goat, a ram on the ground.  The Lesser of the two would cut the cow was cut in half.  Half of the carcass was placed on one side, and the other half was placed on the other.  The same was done with the goat and the ram.  As blood would drain from the animals a large puddle would form between the pieces.  The greater of the two men (the grooms father) would walk barefooted stomping between the pieces.  With this act he promised that his son would be an honorable husband-not abusive, lazy, or dishonest.  Then the lesser of the two (the brides father) would stomp barefooted through the pieces.  His action promised that his daughter was a virgin and she would make would a proper wife.  This blood ritual sealed that if either the groom or the bride was not blameless; the Father would pay with his life.  “If my child is not a proper spouse may I become like these animals”.

So God made a promise to Abraham

Abraham believed but asked for proof

God told Abraham to set up the “walking through the pieces” ceremony

It is no shock why in verse Genesis 15:12 “a great terror and darkness” came over him.  God was asking Him to make a vow.  God would give him a son.  God would make a nation through him, But…if he could not walk before God blameless…if his children could not live lives of obedience then he (Abraham) would be torn apart like these animals.

So the lesser (Abraham) cuts apart the animals, and lays them on opposite side.  The blood drains and puddles in the middle.  As then the greater of the two (God) in an image of a smoking pot walks through the pieces, walked through the blood.  “If I do not keep my side of the covenant then may I (God) be torn to pieces like these animals”. 

And then it was Abraham’s turn.

He was to walk between the pieces sealing the covenant, vowing that he would be obedient and blameless before God, and if he did not then he would be ripped apart like these animals.  Then…

God stepped in.  and he took the position of the lesser of the two. and a second time, this time in the image of a torch, He walked through the pieces.  He walked through the blood, “If Abraham or any of his descendants I will give him ever disobey me.  May I be torn to pieces like the animals”.

And it is at that moment God sentences His son to death.

THREE

v SHORT POINT

Ø  My third point is easy for us…

GOD does all the work…we are blessed

CONCLUSION

Ø  God initiates the Call…all we have to do is believe

Ø  God initiates the Command…we have to jump

Ø  God does all the work…We are blessed

When God give us a command with any bit of direction we JUMP

Remember at the beginning when I mentioned what attributes my kids bring to the table. 

v A Couple Bible stories

 I’m going to close with a couple Bible stories of people reacting to God’s command.  I want to you listen, but also look at the screen and see when people appropriately handle God’s call do they use column A or B.

Column A

v Danger

v Risk

v Playfulness

v Curiosity

v Wild

v Irresponsibility

v Terror.

Column B

v A pros and cons list

v Check your budget

v Did God really say that?

v Maybe I should thank about it

v This doesn’t make sense

v John 21:4-10

v The disciples are out fishing after the crucifixion.  Jesus is at shore and calls to them.  Peter immediately throws himself into the water and swims to Christ

v Mark 10:46-52

v Jesus calls a Blind man.  The Blind man stops acting like a blind man.  He leaps, throws his coat, and runs to Christ.

v Luke 5:21-26

v Jesus tells a paralyzed man you are healed.  The man “without hesitation, jumps up and obeys Christ”

v Genesis 22:1-12

v Abraham is told to take his only son up on the mountain and sacrifice him.  Abraham does what he is told without hesitation.  An angel stops him at the last second.

Nuggets of Joy from the Phillips children

3 conversations we've had with our children recently.

My 4 year old, Levi.
"mom, I have an idea. Nolan can wear a Levi costume, I can wear a James costume, and James can wear a Nolan costume. That would be funny. But maybe dad can wear a Joey costume, you can wear a heather costume, and I can wear a Levi costume. That is easier. Let's do that."‎

My 6 year old Nolan.
Today at school we learned about Bullies. They are mean, they break stuff, they have a bag to take money, and they like shiny things.

My 8 year old James.

I drank my icee too quickly, and while in immense pain I said, "brain-freezes is the worst".

James answered, "That's not true Dad.  Lots of things are worse than brain-freeze.  Lava is worse.  Brain-freeze only lasts for a minute, Lava lasts forever.

The Trap of Consumerism

                            Consumerism is a devastating obstacle to faith.  It adversely affects the possibility of connecting non-believers to Christ, and it negatively affects a Christian’s potential to deepen his/her relationship with the Savior.  A Consumerism mindset is a sinful concoction of greed, selfishness, lack of faith, and idolatry.  When we are locked in this “Trap of Consumerism”, we commit the sin of greed and selfishness in gathering physical goods for the purpose of bringing pleasure to ourselves alone.  Our sin of lack of faith is evident by our doubts that God is able or loving enough to provide for our needs; therefore, we commit the sin of idolatry by attempting to add value and worth to ourselves through the things we acquire.

Definition of “The Trap of Consumerism”

                A consumer minded person acquires physical goods for the purpose of bringing value and fulfillment to his life.  This mind set is a trap.  In order to avoid getting caught in a trap one needs to be aware that the trap is in front of him.  “The Trap of Consumerism” is no different; there are three pieces of the trap of which one needs to be aware.  The epidemic history of Consumerism has been an issue since humans began to occupy the Earth, and there are examples of it throughout the Bible and secular history; it is only more visible because of the fast paced advancement of modern technology.  The second part of the trap, which can catch one in the mindset of consumerism, is misuse of the desires that God embedded in each person.  These God-given desires cause a longing for a relationship with Him, but in sin one attempts to replace God with material goods.  The third part of “The Trap of Consumerism” is the public and aggressive advertisement campaign, which attempts to tout the benefits of being a consumerist and ignores or lies about the side effects.  When a person is caught in the trap it warps every aspect of his life.  It affects marriage, children, occupations, and ones relationship to the church and Jesus.  In order to have an effective apologetic conversation with a person who has been trapped in consumerism, one must reveal the lies of consumerism and attempt to convince the person to realign his life with Christ as the catalyst for his value, esteem, and self worth.

History of the “Trap of Consumerism”

                The reality of consumerism is that it has plagued Earth since the creation of the world; in order to avoid “The Trap of Consumerism” we must be aware of its epidemic history. Throughout the Bible are examples of people connecting to physical items and depriving God of the honor due to Him.  A typical theme of the Bible is when people honor God with the proper place in their lives they are blessed; when they commit sins of greed, selfishness, lack of faith, and idolatry, they are punished.

In the Biblical account of Adam and Eve the couple is tempted by Satan to desire an ability that God has chosen not to give them (Genesis 3).  They do not trust that God has taken care of all of their needs, and believe that they must take matters into their own hands in order to have the wisdom they lack and be more complete.  When they take the fruit and eat of it, their desire is for the piece of fruit to give them value, which is the honor that only God deserves. Throughout the Bible are many examples of people committing the sin of consumerism.  While in the wilderness, God fed His people with manna, but the Jews put more faith in the manna than God who provided it (Exodus 16:20).    In the story of the “rich young ruler”, the man makes a conscious decision not to follow Christ because he was unable to break his connection to wealth (Mark 10).  When God was passing the throne from King Saul to David, Saul clung to his power and status, and attempted many times to murder David rather than trust that God had his interest in mind as well (1 Samuel).  Whether it is fruit, manna, birthrights, or family members, the Bible is full of people who place physical goods above God.  This theme of blessing and cursing is parallel in the secular world as well.  Men who chase physical products over God tend to never be satisfied, but those who honor God and find their value in knowing Him are blessed. 

Multi-billionaire J.D. Rockafeller was asked in an interview, “How much money is enough?”.  Rockefeller answered, “One more dollar”.  Men throughout history have had the misguided attitude that accumulating stuff was more important that serving God. The terrible atrocities of genocide, slavery, murder, and theft were often done to add money, land, or power to the person or persons in charge.  Marcus Licinius Crassus, a Roman general during the reign of Julius Caesar, would suspiciously show up with his men to the scene of a burning home and purchase the home on the spot for nearly nothing.  Once the deal, was done his men would put out the fire (which they most likely started).  Crassus made his fortune by remodeling and renting the homes he acquired.  Genghis Khan, William H. Vanderbilt, Charles Ponzi, and Imelda Marcos are just a few of the historical characters who ignored God to pursue their own greed. None of them were ever content.

                The mindset of placing material goods above God is the same in modern history, but the temptation to fall into “The Trap of Consumerism” is magnified by the tremendous achievements in technology.  Modern technology and the rapid speed at which it is advancing has altered the sin of consumerism.  Although the sins of greed, selfishness, lack of faith, and idolatry are the same, the mass-production of cars, television sets, telephones, and computers has given us more opportunity and temptation to commit the sin.  Apple computers is one of the biggest modern technology companies.  Apple marketed its first computer, the Apple I, in 1976.  It produced newer models to the computer in 1977 and 1980, but it was the Macintosh, which was introduced in 1984, which “changed everything”.  Apple has invented, marketed, and sold an upgraded model to its computer every year, and usually Apple puts out four or more different models.  Apple has done a great job creating fans out of its customers.  Many people have allowed their desire for Apple products to become an obsession.  They want every product; impulsively spend money on the newest model, and covet products of others, which they can’t afford.  When a product is new they love it, but when a new Apple product comes out, they immediately feel that their product is substandard.  The idea that someone might have a better product than they drives them to purchase new products. Apple, the company, is not the problem; “The Trap of Consumerism” is.  Companies like Apple can be the vehicle by which people are more easily stuck in the trap.  People commit sins of greed and selfishness in their desires for a certain product; they can show a lack of faith in God by believing that purchasing a new item with bring them happiness.  They commit the sin of idolatry when they begin to find value in themselves because of the things they own. 

The Consumerism Trap-Natural Inclination

                The second component of “The Trap of Consumerism” is misuse of the natural inclinations God implanted in us when we were created.  French philosopher Blaise Pascal wrote,  “ There is a God-shaped vacuum in the heart of every man which cannot be filled by any created thing, but only by God, the Creator, made known through Jesus.”  Our longing to be complete is a longing given to us by God.  He created us with this emptiness, and it is His desire that this emptiness drives us to a relationship with Him.  We become complete when we do so.  In Acts 17, Paul the apostle is traveling through Athens, and he sees an altar “to an unknown god”.  He confronts a group of men in Athens telling them that the god in whom they do not know but with whom they long for a connection is the God of the Bible.  Paul knows they are chasing their natural inclinations, but in their misguided sin they are failing to connect to the One True God.  G.K. Chesterson, a well known philosopher and Christian apologist, was quoted as saying, “When people cease to believe in God, they do not believe in nothing; they believe in anything!"  The vacuum we have in our lives causes us to long for happiness and lives of importance, but we will have neither until we allow God to occupy the rightful spot in our lives.  Attempting to give God’s rightful place to anything but Him tightens the reigns of  “The Trap of Consumerism” on us. 

                God is the only source of true joy, and He is only one we should choose to fill the vacuum of joy in our lives.  When you become a new believer there is an exuberant feeling to God, which does fade; but the joy God can bring is eternal.  When we lack faith and commit the sin of not trusting God, we will begin to look outside of God for happiness.  The sad cycle is that the more we run to things other than God, the more our long-term happiness runs out, which runs us to more things other than God.  We can convince ourselves that the physical item we choose can bring us happiness, and there is some truth to that.  There is an allure to a shiny new purchase, but eventually the excitement of the physical item becomes dull.  I remember when I was purchasing a new car.  The weeks before I bought the car I stared at pictures of it online.  When I finally brought it home I drove around in it for a few hours while commenting on how smoothly it drove, how good it smelled, how much I liked the color, and how I liked the side view mirrors.  The car truly made me happy.  A few weeks later the car no longer made me happy.  It simply became a tool I used to navigate through life.  A physical item, no matter how alluring it may be, can never replace God.  God is the sole benefactor of long-term happiness.

                Man was created with the natural inclination to want his soul to be touched by God. The Creator of the universe desiring companionship with us is where we find value in ourselves.  We are prideful. We attempt to replace God by finding our value outside of God.  We convince ourselves that the longing in our souls can be satisfied with the material things we have acquired.  We can convince ourselves that the essence of who we are is connected to the brand of vehicle, computer operating system, or shoes we wear.  When we do this we lie to ourselves, commit the sin of idol worship, and are caught in “The Trap of Consumerism”. 

The Consumerism Trap-Commercial Persuasion

                Commercial persuasion is the third part of “The Trap of Consumerism”.  Modern companies use deception and tricks to get people to buy their products.  The lies are not only unique to a singular product, but they attempt to feed a larger widespread cultural mentality that we all need to buy more.  I have identified three of these lies, which accentuate “The Trap of Consumerism”. 

                The first lie is that, “Greed is good”.   Modern advertisements’ trends attempt to convince us that being connected to consumerism is beneficial to us.  In 2010 there was a commercial for the new Toyota Highlander.  The narrator of the commercial was a young boy who was embarrassed by his family’s “geeky-ness”.  The boy is walking past his nerd father who is washing an old ugly minivan in front of their run-down home, and he heads into the neighbor’s yard where there is a very attractive mother, a beautiful home, a brand new Toyota Highlander, and happy children.  The point of this commercial and many like it is that if you have lots of physical stuff you will be happy; but if not, you are a pathetic loser. 

                The second “Trap of Consumerism” lie is that you need all of the stuff you are being sold.  Some advertisers are direct with this.  “Parlor and Juke”, a hair product company, has a flyer currently advertising “the four products you need this summer”.  A business in my hometown is pushing “the gadget you can’t live without”.   Some companies push the idea that you need the stuff they are selling, but they are slightly less direct.  These companies use ads which show really happy people using their product, and by comparison sad people who do not have their product.  In 1979 the company 7up was selling its soda with the slogan “Cheer up”; they used commercials which showed sad people who cheered up once they took a sip.  Allied Carpets, Dish Network, and Geico have all used slogans, which implied you would be a happier person with their products. 

                The phrase “you deserve” is used in many commercials today; the idea that we deserve certain luxuries is the third lie perpetuated by ““The Trap of Consumerism”.  McDonalds tells us, “You deserve a break today”.  Doritos says, “You deserve to be happy”.  Numerous lawyers let us know we should get the “money”, “justice”, “career”, and “compensation” we deserve.  Men’s Health magazine can give us tips on getting the sex we deserve.  Carnival cruise lines informs us that, “You deserve a vacation”.  Even “your dog deserves Alpo”.  The lies we are being sold are that we are all good people, and we all deserve the best of everything.  The logical conclusion is that if we do not have the best, then we are being wronged and taken advantage of.  This kind of false thinking amplifies our selfishness and affects all the other aspects of our life.

Negative affects of Consumerism: Personal

          A devastating negative effect of “The Trap of Consumerism” is strife in man’s relationships, specifically between man and family, man and work, and man and God.  The narcissism caused by “The Trap of Consumerism” encourages people to believe that he/she deserves everything his/her heart desires.  The adversity people face when they must work out their faith, fight for their marriages, and tackle aspects of their job seems unfair.  A person caught in “The Trap of Consumerism” (ie: a narcissistic person) can love the newness of marriage, work, and faith; however, when adversity enters the picture, he can see it as time to abandon the adversity and try something new.  We believe we deserve the best, so when we are not happy we get the attitude that we should upgrade to something better.  The evidence of this is found in the rising trend of church shopping, numerous job changes, and higher divorce rates.

Negative affects of Consumerism: The Church

                The church does not typically help with the issue of the consumerism mindset because the church has been and is continuing to be caught in the trap itself.  The church’s mission should be driven by the message of the Gospel; often it is driven by fear.  Some churches fear that changing the way things are done and beginning to adopt modern technology would disconnect them from the historical traditions of the church; thus they avoid changes in technology altogether.  Other churches use every piece of modern technology they can find for fear that people will not connect to the Gospel if the production is not perfect. 

                The printing press was used to make copies of the Bible as early as 1440; in 1517 when Martin Luther used it to publish claims against the sins of the corporate church, the church fought to stop him.  There was also tremendous fear over the printing press being used to copy the Bible in the language of the people.  Many of the issues involving the printing press were wrapped up in the Pope and his fight to keep control over the people.  In modern times we have copious amount of technological tools that can be used to share the Gospel.  Some churches fear the use of this technology, and limit the possibilities of communicating the Gospel.  Social media websites such as Facebook, twitter, and Blogspot are tools, which can be used to spread the Gospel; however, many churches avoid or even preach against these websites.  Screens and video projectors that project the lyrics of songs, Bible verses, and sermon outlines can be very useful; although they need to be designed tastefully; many churches refuse to use them out of fear of anything modern.   Many conflicts have happened in the church over the issue of music.  People have grown up on certain styles and a certain playlist since they were children.  Out of fear of the reaction of the congregation many churches will only play music they consider traditional.  They ignore the fact that the Holy Spirit is still moving and influencing music today.  In 1962, Billy and Ruth Graham saw a need for a full-time Christian influence on the radio; they established “Blue Ridge Broadcasting”.  They did not fear the modern medium of radio as many other Christians had.  Over the past fifty years God has blessed the Christian radio ministry.  A church, which keeps its technology low and its style historic, is not necessarily sinning.  It is not caught in the “Trap of Consumerism”.  Fear is the sin of not trusting God, and it models a poor relationship between God’s people and material things.  This type of consumer mindset is indirect; it is replacing God with comfort, safety, and “the way things have always been”.  A church, which connects to these things over God, is caught in “The Trap of Consumerism”.  The more direct way a church falls into the consumer mindset is when fear drives it to connect to things modern and abandon the traditional.

                 The sin of some churches is not fear of changing; in fact it’s quite the opposite.  Some churches have corporately fallen into the same “Trap of Consumerism” that individuals have; they fear that people will only stay at their church if they continue to have the best performance of all the churches in town.  This fear drives them to spend more money than necessary on projectors, screens, music, and even staff.   It is a wonderful thing to attempt to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ in unique and creative ways, but the fear that it must be packaged a certain way in order to order to be accepted shows doubt in the power of the Gospel. 

An apologetic conversation with a person caught in “The Trap of Consumerism”

            God created us with a longing in our souls for relationship.  People make the mistake of connecting to material things when this makes us feel more alone and isolated.  The Christian faith offers true, genuine community.  Chasing the consumerist mindset will bring satisfaction to our desires, but only for a short time.  This satisfaction is only temporary.  The only permanent solution to our longings is a relationship with Jesus.  Materialism tells us that we are the most important person in the world, and that we deserve everything our hearts desire.  When we realize how valueless our life is we lose hope.  We find real importance when we realize that the Creator of the universe desires to be connected to us.

                In an apologetic conversation with a person caught in “The Trap of Consumerism”, it is imperative that we are aware that people connect to material items because of a pointless attempt to have a life of value.  Chasing material things is counterproductive; it does not give our lives value; it only drives us farther from the only one who can bring value in our lives.  The Christian life is the only possible way to have a life of true value.  It is our responsibility to reveal to a person caught in “The Trap of Consumerism” that fact.

Historically Valuable People

                An apologetic conversation could begin by talking about people throughout history who made a valuable impact on the world. Beethoven, Steve Jobs, Abraham Lincoln, and other characters made enormous impact on the world.  Some people are impacted daily because of the work of historically valuable people; but no man, regardless of his importance, has been able to affect the universe.  Everyone wants his or her life to have importance.  No matter how great our life is on earth, our legacy will disappear; our impact will be minimal; we will eventually be forgotten.  True value is not accomplished because of what we own or what we’ve done.  A life can only have lasting importance if it is connected to the One who created everything. 

God loves us

                In Louie Giglio’s book, “I Am Not, but I know I Am” he gives a list of things Moses must have realized when he heard the voice of God.  I am not the center of everything.  I am not in control.  I am not the solution.  I am not all-powerful.  I am not calling the shots.  I am not the owner of everything.  I am not the Lord.  It may have been revealed to Moses the many things he was not, but his value was found in knowing the Creator.  There is nothing more amazing than the understanding that God wants community with us.  To imagine we can find value in ourselves because we connect to an ipad is ridiculous, when we have been invited into a connection with God.  No material thing will ever give us long-term satisfaction; it will always come up short, and we will always be unsatisfied. 

The Penalty of Sin and Jesus

                The concept of getting what we deserve greatly impacts a consumer minded person; there is a thought that because a person is basically a good person he/she deserves the best of everything.  It is important to boldly talk about sin and the penalty of sin because it reveals what we really deserve.  Romans 3:23 says, “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God”.  We must abandon the idea that we are good people.  In the book of Mark Jesus says, “for it is from within, out of a person’s heart, that evil thoughts come- sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance, and folly (Mark 7:21-22)”.  Not only are we not good but also we are evil, and there is punishment for our sins.  Romans 6:23a says, “for the wages of sin is death”.  We deserve nothing more than Hell.  It’s not a gentle thought, but it is important to know that God is the only one who is good.  We are not good people, and we do not deserve the best.   

                Our sin requires a punishment, and we are separated from God because of it.  God in His infinite love for us made a solution to our separation from Him.  “God so loved the world that gave his one and only Son, that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life (John 3:16)”.  God sent His son Jesus to die in our place, to satisfy the debt we could not pay.  Embracing this relationship with Jesus is the only way we will have a life of value. 

Conclusion

                If we were to take a logical look at life we would realize the majority of our time and influence should be spent on God, family, and friends. Most people live contrary to this logic.  We pursue stuff and neglect those most important to us; in the process, we lose sight of value in our lives. Man was created for the sole purpose of glorifying and having relationship with God.  Since creation man has neglected his purpose and allowed “The Trap of Consumerism” to cause a wedge between him and God.  Biblical accounts, secular history, and modern history tell the story of man seeking to substitute their need for God with created items.  Modern technology and the aggressive advertising have advanced the unhealthy relationship between man and his stuff.  Man has a yearning deep in his soul, and to be satisfied, he must break his addiction to material goods, and pursue a saving relationship with Jesus Christ.

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