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HOW TO PROVOKE EACH OTHER
(A sermon preached November 15, 2009 at University United Methodist Church,
East Lansing MI by John Ross Thompson)
Hebrews 10:11-25
10:11 And every priest stands day after day at his service, offering again and
again the same sacrifices that can never take away sins.
10:12 But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, "he
sat down at the right hand of God,"
10:13 and since then has been waiting "until his enemies would be made a
footstool for his feet."
10:14 For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are
sanctified.
10:15 And the Holy Spirit also testifies to us, for after saying,
10:16 "This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, says
the Lord: I will put my laws in their hearts, and I will write them on their
minds,"
10:17 he also adds, "I will remember their sins and their lawless deeds no
more."
10:18 Where there is forgiveness of these, there is no longer any offering for
sin.
10:19 Therefore, my friends, since we have confidence to enter the sanctuary by
the blood of Jesus,
10:20 by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain (that
is, through his flesh),
10:21 and since we have a great priest over the house of God,
10:22 let us approach with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our
hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure
water.
10:23 Let us hold fast to the confession of our hope without wavering, for he
who has promised is faithful.
10:24 And let us consider how to provoke one another to love and good deeds,
10:25 not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging
one another, and all the more as you see the Day approaching.
Mark 13:1-8
13:1 As he came out of the temple, one of his disciples said to him, "Look,
Teacher, what large stones and what large buildings!"
13:2 Then Jesus asked him, "Do you see these great buildings? Not one stone will
be left here upon another; all will be thrown down."
13:3 When he was sitting on the Mount of Olives opposite the temple, Peter,
James, John, and Andrew asked him privately,
13:4 "Tell us, when will this be, and what will be the sign that all these
things are about to be accomplished?"
13:5 Then Jesus began to say to them, "Beware that no one leads you astray.
13:6 Many will come in my name and say, 'I am he!' and they will lead many
astray.
13:7 When you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be alarmed; this must take
place, but the end is still to come.
13:8 For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; there
will be earthquakes in various places; there will be famines. This is but the
beginning of the birthpangs.
When was the last time you provoked someone else? The author of Hebrews
says that we need to do just that and we need to meet together so that we can
encourage one another.
How many of you thought of “provoke” as something good when I asked that
question?
How many of you thought of “provoke” in a negative way?
(All of the hands that went up were in response to “provoke” as something
negative.)
It’s interesting that there are four primary definitions of “provoke” in the
dictionary. The first three are positive, with only the fourth one meaning
something negative.
- to arouse: call forth emotions, feelings, and responses
- to evoke or make happen
- to provide the needed stimulus for something
- to harass or annoy continually
Have you prodded anyone lately?
If you are on Facebook, have you poked anyone? I’ve been poked there, but I
don’t think I have yet poked anyone else.
The New International Version of the Bible
translates this verse from Hebrews 10:24 as “Let us consider how we may spur one
another on toward love and good deeds.”
The New American Standard Bible version renders it
“Let us consider how to stimulate one another to do good.”
What would you say was the plan of Jesus to
change the world?
It was not an organization or a structure.
It was not with money or power.
His sole plan to create the greatest movement that ever spread across was the
earth (Christianity) was to inspire a few people, who then would reach out to
other people, and so on until billions were reached.
How do we find our way to God?
The author of Hebrews says it is not through sacrifices or even religious
practices, but through reaching others. Our Hebrews text is about the
importance of modeling what we believe in.
In the scripture this morning from Mark, Jesus says that even the buildings
we have built, thinking they would be permanent, will disappear. What we have
made is only temporary. It is important to work for that which lasts forever.
Everyone needs a faith community. Those who say they can be people of faith
and serve God without a church are well-intentioned. However, I’ve never known
anyone who could last long without the support and encouragement of a faith
community. We need to be provoked, to be stirred up, to be spurred on to do
what is most important in a world that is filled with non-essentials. None of
us can last alone without the help of others. That’s the true meaning of
“church.”
I’m thinking of two experiences in the last 24 hours that have reminded me of
how we provoke each other.
This morning, at the 9 a.m. worship service, 11 of our confirmation class
youth led the worship, surrounded by their parents and mentors. They won’t be
confirmed until next spring, but already they are focusing on the meaning of
Christian covenant, which is people provoking and encouraging each other.
Last evening, Ellen and I were privileged to be at a program presented by the
United Methodist Community House in Grand Rapids. It is a ministry that we have
supported for many years. Community House in the inner city of Grand Rapids
came from the vision of some women 107 years ago, who provoked others to reach
out to those in need, and that ministry has grown even stronger through the
years. It is a mission project owned by the United Methodist Women of our
conference.
Consider ministries closer to home. All of them
began and have continued because someone provoked another person to good deeds
and it became contagious:
--Open Door Ministry in downtown Lansing,
--Southside Community Kitchen,
--Haven House shelter in East Lansing,
and the list goes on and on.
One day a man from a small community was referred
to a big hospital. Asked about his religion, he answered, "I’m a Methodist." The
local pastor came to visit him.
"I see you are a Methodist."
"Yessir. Have been all my life."
"Which church do you belong to?"
"Well, sir, I don't think I belonged to a church."
"Which pastor confirmed you?"
"Well, now, sir, I don't rightly think I ever knew a pastor."
"But you listed yourself as a Methodist."
"Well, once when I was a young man, I went into a Methodist church, and the
people in that church were saying all together, 'We have left undone those
things which we ought to have done; and we have done those things which we ought
not to have done.' And ever since then, I knew I was a Methodist."
That man had it completely wrong. He was right that
we have left undone many of the things that we should have done, but because he
was not part of a church, he had no clue what Methodists really did.
In all of my years of asking non-Methodists what
they think a Methodist is, one of the very first things that is mentioned is
social action, or putting feet and hands to our beliefs. We act on what we
believe. We make a difference in our community, and we reach out to all persons
regardless of who they are. Sitting near you, I am sure, is someone who does
this regularly. Ask others their stories.
How do we provoke one another?
- We do what we know is right.
- We are not embarrassed to let others see what we are doing.
- We tell others why we are doing what is right.
- We invite them to join us.
It is numbers 3 and 4 that most of us fail to do.
Most people sign on to do something not because
they hear about it, but because someone has invited them to join in.
Let us consider how to provoke one another to love and good deeds,
not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one
another.
Here are our marching orders for this week. Let’s get out there and provoke
someone.
Let me know next week the person you have provoked.
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