Wild Goose Chase / #4: A Strange Peace / June 9, 2013 You don t have to go to jail to wear chains. There are a whole lot of people who wear these all the time maybe not quite as visible as these, but they re wearing them. Some of you guys (maybe, most of you guys) are wearing some kind of chains right now. For some of you and I am not about to ask for a show of hands, that could start a war. For some of you this is what your marriage feels like. In fact some people even talk about their husband or their wife as their ball and chain. You d get out of it, if you could, but you feel trapped. For some of you maybe it s a job. You don t like your job, in fact you may even hate it, but you need the money and you have no good alternatives, especially in this economy. Jobs are hard to come by, so you are trapped. Or maybe you feel like you are chained to some sin, or some addiction. You hate what you are doing, but you can t seem to break free. You hate the shame, the guilt, the fear of discovery, but you just keep on doing it. The lure or your sin is simply stronger than your will. Or maybe for you, these are chains of obligation, chains of expectation. You think, I should, or I ought, or I have to because that s what people expect. You are chained by other people s opinions. You are a slave to what other people expect from you your mom, or your boss, or your friends. I ll bet most every one of you have felt chains like this before. In fact, I ll bet that a lot of you, maybe even most of you, have felt chains like this just coming in this room. A whole lot of people feel like they do life with God because they have to, not because they want to. Some of you guys are here because of duty, because you know you should, because you know you ought to, not because you really want to. And for some of you that means your life with God is sheer drudgery. And some of you guys are here because of fear. You are afraid that if you don t put up with church now, you might miss out on heaven later. And that attitude doesn t make this church stuff much fun. The truth is, whether it is out there, or in here, there are a whole lot of chains. And our chains kind of steal our joy. When you start poking around and listening to people, you realize that most folks are not very content, and they re not very happy. We try to be. We want to live a life we re proud Page 1 of 9
of, and we want to be happy. But most of us have this sinking feeling that there s got to be more. Is this life I m living, really, as good as it gets? That s kind of a downer. We re not content with who we are, and we re not content with what we re doing, and even when we achieve some goal we realize that there still has to be more, because it doesn t fill the hole inside. Even in our life with God. We get this sinking feeling there has to be more. Is this, really, as good as it gets? The Bible talks a whole lot more about peace with God, and joy from God than most of us actually experience it seems. In fact, after a while, for a whole lot of Christians, those are just words. They are not what drive us; we are dragged more by chains. Well guys, that s not what God meant for us. We re missing it. And our missing it is corrupting our life with God, and it s holding us back from bringing others to him. Now, we re wrapping up our series on Chasing the Wild Goose this morning. Remember, the Wild Goose is an image we are using for the Holy Spirit. We are also wrapping up our study of Acts this morning we ve been studying Acts since September. We re going to look at the last verses in the last chapter of the book. Now Acts ends kind of weird. It s kind of like you re right smack in the middle of a story, and it just ends. Doctor Luke, the guy who wrote the book, doesn t try to resolve any of the storylines, he doesn t try wrap things up with a summary or a conclusion. The story just quits in the middle of a scene It s almost like he expects us to understand that the story really isn t over yet. At during this final scene the apostle Paul is wearing these (chains). But his chains are quite visible, like these because he was a prisoner of Rome. Here s what it says, Acts 28.16: When we arrived in Rome, Paul was allowed to live by himself with a soldier guarding him. That s kind of weird. Even though he was a prisoner, they let him live by himself, with just one guard. I m telling you guys, if there was one soldier guarding me, and I wanted to get away, I could figure out a way. The soldier has to sleep sometime. So, for some reason, they didn t think Paul would try to escape Why not? We hate chains! Verse 30: For the next two years, Paul lived in Rome at his own expense. So he s a prisoner (chains), waiting for trial, he s having to cover his expenses himself, and he makes no attempt at escape. Guys, by this time Page 2 of 9
Paul has been wearing these chains, and waiting for his trial for about 4 years, and it s almost like he doesn t care. But that s weird, because Paul is no couch potato, he s a man of action. There s something about Paul, guys, that we need to get. He had a peace about him, a contentment that absolutely blows my mind; he had this boldness, this courage; he had this joy, even, that most of us want, but never really experience. You see, these chains really didn t bind him. What he had, I want; what he had, I want for you; what he had, you want, I think. Now this is going to be a little strange, but I want to show you what Paul had inside, not from Acts, but from a letter that he wrote during these years he was in prison in Rome. The letter is in your Bible; in fact we have four letters he wrote from prison we even call them the prison letters Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, and Philemon. I want to focus on Philippians, and show you, very quickly, 5 places in his letter that kind of give us a window into what Paul had inside him, that we want. Ready? Philippians 1.12-14: Paul writes, (remember, he s a prisoner) I want you to know, my dear brothers and sisters, that everything that has happened to me here has helped to spread the Good News. Paul has this amazing perspective on life: Sure I m wearing these chains, but they re not keeping me from doing what God has called me to do, so I m okay with them. In fact they have opened some doors for me. He says, For everyone here, including the whole palace guard, knows that I am in chains because of Christ. Because of these chains, I ve been able to share Jesus with some of the most elite soldiers in the empire. Isn t that cool. And more than that, he says, Because of my imprisonment, most of the believers here have gained confidence and (they) boldly speak God s message without fear. These chains have not only opened doors for me, they have helped some of you find your mettle, and your grit, and your courage. A lot of good has come from these chains, he says. Now, I m not sure, if I was doing prison time, that my perspective on life would be so optimistic, so Christian. Next one, Philippians 1.20-21, just a few verses later. These verses are incredible; if you lived them, it would change your life. Paul writes, from jail (remember, he s in jail), I trust that my life will bring honor to Christ, whether I live or die. Paul has appealed to Caesar to settle his case. Do you know who the Caesar was? A guy named Nero. He was one crazy bad dude. Page 3 of 9
You see, Paul was not calm because he was confident they were going to let him go, he was calm because he really didn t care. He says, For to me, living means living for Christ (which is really cool), and dying is even better (because then I will taste life as God meant it). Could you say that? Do you believe it? A lot of us do, intellectually, but we don t live that way. It is no wonder Paul was so calm, and so bold, and so fearless. Guys, I don t want just to believe these verses up here; I want to believe them down here. I don t want you just to believe these verses up here; I want you to live them. Next one, Philippians 4.4. This is an amazing verse, a verse some of you have heard a thousand times. But here s the deal: Paul meant it. Paul writes, Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again, rejoice. Now, these are imperatives, they are commands, they are not options. I like the way the Message puts it: Celebrate God all day, every day. I mean (it), revel in him! Guys, if you study this letter to the Philippians you ll discover why they call it the joy letter. He comes back to this joy over and over again. He s in prison, and he s still got it, and he wants us to get it. And when we get it, it will change our life. A couple verses later, Philippians 4.6-7. Paul writes, Don t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Remember, Paul s not writing this from some ivory tower. He s writing from chains, and he s got a whole lot to worry about. He could end up dead. But I think he means it. You see, worry is a choice. He says, Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. And guys, no matter who you are or what you re facing, you have a whole lot to thank God for. Do you buy that? He says, Then (when you stop worrying and start thanking) you will experience God s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus. Have you ever felt that kind of peace? Would you like to? You see, we know this stuff up here (head), but it s so hard for us to get it down here (heart). One more: and these are some of my favorite verses in the Bible. In fact they have been one of my life challenges. Philippians 4.11-13, Paul writes, I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I have learned to be content. That part is so important: it means that contentment is not always easy, but it also means it s possible. There is a way to learn to be content. He says, I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every Page 4 of 9
situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want (whether in chains or not. Paul says, -- here it is). I can do all this through him who gives me strength. Now this is really ironic: Paul is in chains writing to people who are free. He is a prisoner who has learned to be content, writing to people who are free, but miserable. And he s writing to Christians, because most Christians have not learned how to be content. Do you buy that? Are you content? I guess those last verses have been important to me because contentment has been one of the great spiritual battles of my life. I struggled to be content for decades. Some of you guys might not get this part, because you don t have this struggle, but hang with me. I ve told you before that when I was a High School kid my plans were to go to college and study law, and then go into the FBI. And I had the skill set to do it. But one day in a little church in Port Orford, Oregon, I felt God call me into ministry. Now there was no light from heaven, no voice, but there was no doubt in my mind that God called me into ministry. If there had been any doubt at all, I wouldn t have done it, because I did not want to be a minister. I didn t mildly dislike the idea, I passionately disliked God s call. So here s what I looked like (chained to the Wild Goose). I followed him, but I didn t want to. I knew I should, I knew I ought to, I knew it was my duty, and I was afraid not to follow him. But I was probably the grumpiest ministerial student at my college. I felt no contentment, no peace, and I was a world away from joy. It was a little better when I was a professor. I was still, by nature, grumpy. And I was still annoyed at God for dragging me down a path I didn t choose. But I did like to teach, and I do have a passion for kids (I never admit that out loud, but I really do). And I would have stayed at the college for 40 years if they had let me. But they didn t, and so the one part of ministry that I could tolerate was snatched away. Guys, I tried to hide it from you, but when I came here to Capital City I didn t want to be here. Now I was willing to go wherever the Wild Goose dragged me because of these (chains), but there is a profound difference between being willing to go, and wanting to go. So I settled in here to do my duty as a slave of the Wild Goose. But God kept picking on me. Paul says, I have learned to be content. And God kept whispering, Why can t you, you grumpy little twit? So, out of duty, I actually started praying for contentment. Guys, it s not safe to pray for something you don t really want. But I started Page 5 of 9
praying for contentment. They weren t very spiritual prayers: God, help me just to want to be content here. And I can still vividly remember the evening, about 15 years ago, when I started to taste it. That was a surprise. It s kind of incredible contentment. It doesn t take away your drive, but it gives you a boldness, and a courage, and a peace. -- UNDO CHAINS -- It s a whole lot better to chase the Wild Goose than to be dragged through life by him. But as the years have passed I learned something else: there is a difference between contentment and joy. Paul had both, but I didn t yet. You can learn to be content and still reject God s command for joy. I know you can, because that s where I was I was learning to be content, but I was a long ways from joy. You see, real joy is more than just contentedness, although that s a part of it. There are people who learn to be content who never experience real joy. Did you know that s a sin to refuse joy? You see, real joy is more than just a feeling, it is a delight in life, it s a delight in God, that goes deeper than our pain or our pleasure. It s a strength that flows from a sense of God s presence a sense of his power and his grace in your life. It s an attitude that changes your whole perspective on life. Okay, I m going to show you two more verses from Philippians and then I ll wrap all this up with three big ideas actually with two big ideas and one huge idea. Here are the two verses, Philippians 2.12-13: Work out your salvation with fear and trembling, because God is always at work in you to make you willing and able to obey his own purpose. You work, because God is at work. Work out your salvation, start living out your salvation, start doing life with God, God s way; because God is working in you. You see, we couldn t succeed in working out our salvation if God wasn t working in us. And here is what God is doing: he is working in you to make you willing and able without chains to obey his purposes. Okay, two big ideas, and one huge one. Here s big idea #1: Contentment is a choice, joy is a choice. Paul says, I have learned to be content. It is something we can learn, it is something we can choose. Paul says, Rejoice in the Lord, always, I mean it, choose joy. Guys, God doesn t command us to do things we can t choose to do, with his help. When I live in discontent, that s a choice. When I live without joy, that s a choice. I don t care who you are, or where you ve been, or how tough your life is you can choose contentment, and you can choose joy. Page 6 of 9
And maybe you re thinking, I ve tried, and I can t. I just can t be content, and I just can t feel any joy. Here s big idea #2: You can, because. God. is. at. work. in. you. Maybe you can t, by yourself, but God is at work in you and he is big enough, and strong enough, and smart enough, and good enough to pull it off. Do you buy that? If you don t think God can, your God is a myth, your God is too small. You see, these are what are called fruit of the Spirit. This is what happens when we choose to let God s Spirit do his work in us. The Bible says the fruit of the Spirit is love, and joy, and peace The list keeps going, but joy and peace are right up front. These are what you will experience if you choose to let God do his work in you. His promise! Last one, idea #3 this one is huge: you will never experience these fruit of God s Spirit unless you are chasing the Wild Goose without chains. Most of you know there is something missing in your life; you know there must be something more. You want to be content, you want to taste joy, you want to feel God s peace, you want to have the sense of purpose, the zest for life, the courage that just drips from Paul. Guys, you won t get it unless you are right here, chasing the Wild Goose without chains. Here s what we do. God, I m pursuing this path (not yours), but I need you to give me some contentment, and some joy. I know it s not your path, God, but you promised some peace and some joy! God, I m chasing happiness. I ve looked for it on this path, and I ve looked for it on that one, and it s just not happening. I expected more from you, God! Guys, God s joy, and God s peace, and God s contentment, and God s courage can only be found on God s path. You can t choose a different path and then whine about having no contentment, no joy, no peace. They are side effects they are side effects of doing life with God, for God, God s way. They are side effects of chasing the Wild Goose without chains. Do you buy that? These are by-products of a life well lived God s way. Guys, don t settle. This Wild Goose will lead you to places where you didn t plan to go, he will lead you to do things you didn t plan to do. This Wild Goose chase can be risky, it can cost a lot. But the pay-off? It is the only way to experience what you re really looking for a sense of God-honoring purpose, a boldness and courage that s beyond your strength, a contentment you need, a peace that will strengthen you and dazzle them, and a joy a zest for life. Guys it s worth it. Don t settle. Page 7 of 9
Closing Challenge Wild Goose Chase. That s where we ve been the last few weeks. We told you that some of the Celtic Christians called him An Geadh-Glas (on god gloss), or the Wild Goose, because he is mysterious; he cannot be tracked or tamed; there is an air of unpredictability around him. And he will take us places we could never have imagined by paths we didn t know existed. Is that okay with you? I said that many of us try to tame the Wild Goose. We want what God offers, but on our terms. We want to do life with God, as long as we get to dictate how, and when, and where. We want to serve him, when it s convenient, when it s comfortable. We want his power, his strength but at our disposable, under our control. And the Wild Goose won t play. We don t get to (snap fingers) tell him when to appear, and what to do, and how to do it. You see, in our dance with God, guys, he gets to lead. He wants to do life with us but he insists on leading. Will you let him? I also said that chasing the Wild Goose can be terrifying. You see, the Holy Spirit has an agenda for your life that is way bigger, and way bolder than just making you comfortable and happy. And he will take you places, sometimes, where you don t want to be, and tell you to do things sometimes that you don t want to do. He ll lead us way out of our comfort zones. Are you okay with that? And I also said that during this Wild Goose chase he is going to be shaping us. He let s us go through some pretty hard times. In fact, sometimes God does his most powerful work in us when we are going through really hard times. He doesn t cause most of the troubles we have, but he uses them to do his work in us, and through us. Have you seen it in your life? And today I said that chasing the Wild Goose, no matter how daunting it might seem it s worth it. It s the only way to experience the purpose and the contentment, and the peace, and the joy, and the zest for life that you were made for. Don t expect to experience the fruit of God s Spirit unless you are following his path. Are you game? Page 8 of 9
About 125 years ago a guy named Henry James wrote a story he called The Madonna of the Future. It was a story about an artist who devoted her whole life to one single painting. When she died, her canvas was still blank. She never finished her life work, because she never started. That is a picture of how a lot of Christians chase the Wild Goose. We can t finish our masterpiece we were created for, unless we start doing life with God his way. So here s the question: What is your unpainted canvas? What God-given dream is collecting dust? What God-ordained passion remains caged in you? I have no idea what your Madonna of the Future is, but here s what I do know: you ll never finish what you don t start. And that is where so many of us get stuck. We don t take that first step, so the Wild Goose chase never begins. Or we take it with reluctance with chains so we never experience the zest, and the courage, and the peace, and the joy we can discover there. Instead of adventure, we settle for routine. Instead of playing offense with our lives, we play defense we settle. Instead of living by faith, we settle for comfortable. As we close this series I want you to pray with me. But this time I don t want you to close your eyes, because I want us to pray this prayer together. I m going to read it first, so you can hear it. Because I don t want you to say anything, to pray anything you don t mean. He ll know. So let me read our prayer for you: God, Please forgive us for grieving and resisting your Spirit through our self-centeredness, through our sin, and through our fear. So often we knew what you wanted us to do, but we chose to ignore your nudges. This is not how we want to live now. We want you to change us. We want to do life with you, and for you. Protect us from disbelief, and from fear. Give us your strength to do what you ask us to do, and to live how you ask us to live. We want to hear when you speak, and to obey when we hear. Shape us and use us, by your Holy Spirit. Whatever, wherever, whenever, no matter what the cost we re all in. In the name of Jesus Amen Ready Page 9 of 9