"Charlie Mike"
Church on the Move • Sermon • Submitted
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“Church On The Move”
“Charlie Mike”
Kristi and I have historically had a show that we watch together. A show that we can sit back, follow a story line, and decompress from the drama of life.
Ironically enough, It is typically some kind of drama in and of itself.
For the most part we enjoy watching dramatically different types of TV, but we typically try to have a show that we can ENJOY watching together.
Our latest find is Navy Seals. It’s a relatively clean show compared to most of the nonsense on TV today. The language is pretty mild, I can’t think of a single episode or even hint at an LGBTQ situation.
It isn’t without problems, but overall, a pretty decent show.
As you can expect form a show about Navy Seals, each episode typically involves “Bravo team” going on some seemingly impossible mission to rescue someone or capture a “High Value Target.”
However, many of the episodes lead to some catastrophic mission failure or hiccup that leads to the question of whether to abort the mission or to carry on.
I think everytime that decision has been faced, the call comes back from Bravo 1 A.K.A. Jason Hayes, the leader of Bravo… “Charlie Mike” which means “Continue Mission.”
At the beginning of this year we started a series called “Church on the Move.”
I could have just as easily called this series, “Church on a Mission.”
The movement of the church is based on the mission of God for the People of God to build the Kingdom of God.
As we started this series I talked about the promise, purpose, and power of the church.
The Promise of the church involved Jesus asking the disciples the question, “Who do people say I am.”
The disciples answered, “Some say John the Baptist, Some say Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”
Jesus asked, “but who do you say I am?”
You know the story, Peter steps up and says, “You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God.”
To that Jesus says, You are Peter and on this rock I will build my Church and the GATES OF HELL SHALL NOT PREVAIL AGAINST IT!!!
THAT’S THE MISSION CHURCH!
THAT’S THE MOVEMENT WE ARE SUPPOSED TO BE IN
WE ARE PART OF AN ELITE SPECIAL FORCE THAT IS ENGAGED IN A SPECIAL OPERATIONS MISSION TO RESCUE HOSTAGES FROM THE GRIPS OF AN UNRELENTING, CRUEL ENEMY THAT DESIRES TO KILL, STEAL AND DESTROY!
As I watch Navy Seals with my wife, those men all go out on a mission, but the reality is THE MISSION started long before they set foot in Afghanistan, or Malaysia, or Venezuela, or any other part of the world.
Their mission, that would lead to many missions over the course of their careers, started when they signed up. Their mission started when they made the decision to join the Navy and then to start the BUDs Program.
As I stand here this morning talking about Navy Seals going on missions, there are some pretty strong correlations between the military (especially elite units that see higher than normal combat missions) and the Christian life.
Make no mistakes about it church, WE WILL SEE SPIRITUAL BATTLES. WE WILL GET INJURED, BUT WE WILL WIN!!!
I am going to read form Luke 14 this morning.
The pericope directly before the one I am going to read this morning starting in v. 25 talks about a man that has a great banquet. As part of the preparations for the feast he invited lots of people. When the time came and everything was prepared, he sent his servant to let people know. Unfortunately, the guests had excuses on why they couldn’t come. The first had bought a new field and wanted to go see it. The next bought some oxen and wanted to go examine them. The last mentioned had just got married so he couldn’t come (maybe the only semi-legitimate excuse.) The master was angry…OBVIOUSLY…and instructed the servant to go and invite the poor, crippled, blind, and lame. Go into the highways and the hedges and bring as many as will come. Fill my house with the sounds of celebration…
Obviously, Jesus was referencing the Kingdom of God, and the invitation to all that will come.
But that parable was followed with an even more difficult parable.
Now great crowds accompanied him, and he turned and said to them, “If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple. Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple. For which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost, whether he has enough to complete it? Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him, saying, ‘This man began to build and was not able to finish.’ Or what king, going out to encounter another king in war, will not sit down first and deliberate whether he is able with ten thousand to meet him who comes against him with twenty thousand? And if not, while the other is yet a great way off, he sends a delegation and asks for terms of peace. So therefore, any one of you who does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple.
Jesus turns around, looks at this great crowd that has started following Him, and for the next 8 verses tells them, THIS IS GOING TO BE THE HARDEST THING YOU HAVE EVER DONE!!!
Listen to this… every year roughly 40k people join the US Navy. Because of the popularity of the SEALS, at least half of that 40k express some interest in the program. In spite of that level of interest, approximately 1000 people are accepted and start the training and 75% of those quit.
I have told the story before, but it is worth telling again. B.H. Clendenin said one time that God spoke to him in prayer and told him that if the rapture happened only 10% of his church would make it.
Bro. Clendenin argued with him because he believed that the church was faithful.
God said, I’ll prove it to you…call a prayer meeting.
Clendenin said his heart sank when 40 of his 400 faithful attenders showed up for a Tuesday evening prayer meeting.
Hear me church, This is not a condemnation about showing up for prayer, or not.
This is WHOLLY about asking you to consider the cost, and Charlie Mike…CONTINUE THE MISSION!!!
I hope this morning that this stirs something in you and gets you excited to fight for Jesus.
Obviously I am no talking about throwing hands, grabbing a sword or a rifle, BUT I’m Talking about spiritual warfare.
I’m talking about the very real truth that you will come up against an enemy that has more experience, in many cases more desire to win, and we are playing on his battlefield.
I. Consider the Cost
a. Persecution
i. Matthew 5:10-12
“Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
“Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
ii. 2 Timothy 3:10-12
You, however, have followed my teaching, my conduct, my aim in life, my faith, my patience, my love, my steadfastness, my persecutions and sufferings that happened to me at Antioch, at Iconium, and at Lystra—which persecutions I endured; yet from them all the Lord rescued me. Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted,
b. Separation
i. Amos 3:3
“Do two walk together,
unless they have agreed to meet?
ii. 1 John 2:15-17
Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world. And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.
c. Loss of People you care about
i. Recent events in SCOTUS revealed on FB
ii. Luke 14:26
“If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple.
d. Dying to Yourself
i. Luke 14:27
Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple.
II. Recognize the Enemy
a. The Devil
i. 1 Peter 5:8
Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.
b. Pride
i. Genesis 3:1-6
Now the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the Lord God had made.
He said to the woman, “Did God actually say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree in the garden’?” And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden, but God said, ‘You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.’ ” But the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate.
ii. 1 John 2:15-16
Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world.
c. Flesh
i. Galatians 5:16-17
But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do.
ii. Galatians 5:19-21
It is obvious what kind of life develops out of trying to get your own way all the time: repetitive, loveless, cheap sex; a stinking accumulation of mental and emotional garbage; frenzied and joyless grabs for happiness; trinket gods; magic-show religion; paranoid loneliness; cutthroat competition; all-consuming-yet-never-satisfied wants; a brutal temper; an impotence to love or be loved; divided homes and divided lives; small-minded and lopsided pursuits; the vicious habit of depersonalizing everyone into a rival; uncontrolled and uncontrollable addictions; ugly parodies of community. I could go on.
This isn’t the first time I have warned you, you know. If you use your freedom this way, you will not inherit God’s kingdom.
III. Train for the Fight
a. 95% Training 5% battle
i. No fumbling for the right weapon…
ii. Fast reloads
b. Train Like You Fight
i. On Our Knees in Prayer
ii. In the Word
c. Jesus Got Away to Pray
i. Luke 5:16
But he would withdraw to desolate places and pray.
d. The temptations of Jesus
i. Matthew 4:1-11
Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. And after fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. And the tempter came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.” But he answered, “It is written,
“ ‘Man shall not live by bread alone,
but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’ ”
Then the devil took him to the holy city and set him on the pinnacle of the temple and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down, for it is written,
“ ‘He will command his angels concerning you,’
and
“ ‘On their hands they will bear you up,
lest you strike your foot against a stone.’ ”
Jesus said to him, “Again it is written, ‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.’ ” Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. And he said to him, “All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me.” Then Jesus said to him, “Be gone, Satan! For it is written,
“ ‘You shall worship the Lord your God
and him only shall you serve.’ ”
Then the devil left him, and behold, angels came and were ministering to him.
1. Stones to Bread
2. Throw Yourself down from the pinnacle of the Temple
3. Fall down and worship me.
4. Matthew 4:10
Then Jesus said to him, “Be gone, Satan! For it is written,
“ ‘You shall worship the Lord your God
and him only shall you serve.’ ”
IV. Gear up for Battle
a. The Weapons of our warfare aren’t carnal
i. 2 Corinthians 10:3-5
For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ,
b. Ephesians 6:10-18
Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints,
i. Belt of Truth
ii. Breastplate of Righteousness
iii. Shoes for the readiness of the Gospel of PEACE
iv. Shield of Faith
v. Helmet of Salvation
vi. Sword of the Spirit
vii. PRAYER…Communication
V. KNOW that the Enemy is defeated.
a. Colossians 2:15
He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him.
b. Galatians 2:20
I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.
c. 1 Corinthians 10:13
No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.
In the movies Mission Impossible, one of the famous tag lines was, “Your mission should you choose to accept it…”
This morning, as every other morning, I am challenging you to engage in the mission that Jesus gave us.
I am challenging you to stand up and not back down.
I am challenging you to stop being silent and let the world hear the roar of the lion of Judah
Let them hear that there is a better way!!!