4/6/08 Let’s Build A Garage!

II Peter 1:2-5 Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord; seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence. For by these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, in order that by them you might become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust. Now for this very reason also, applying all diligence, in your faith supply moral excellence, and in your moral excellence, knowledge;

We are 11 weeks into a fascinating adventure,

and excursion into God’s word

in search of a better understanding

of what it really means

for a human being to ‟grow spiritually”.

We’ve been out of this study for several weeks, though,

and rather than just plunging back into the study exactly where we left off

I want to use this morning to ease us back into this series more gently.

Most of all what I want to do this morning

is to offer you an extended illustration

that helps me better understand

how skillfully Satan can divert us from our true calling

into any one of the countless religious substitutes to the real thing.

And you do know what our true calling is, don’t you?

There are actually two of them,

but they are closely linkied to one another.

It will not surprise you to know that they are both clearly stated in this passage we’re studying in 2 Peter.

The first, of course, is our growing in our own personal love relationship with God - epignosis.

It is simply our discovering more and more

about the true nature of His love for us

and then our responding to that discovery

through our loving Him in return.

It is the first and greatest calling assigned to each of us who are placed on this planet.

It is by far the greatest and most accurate measure of our lives we will ever have.

And the second great calling given to us by our God

is that of our learning how to truly love those that He brings into our lives.

That is where our walk with Him is taking us.

Do you remember those seven steps Peter shares with us?

Do you remember where they end up - the highest expression of the life of Christ through us?

Moral excellence

knowledge

self-control

perseverance

Godliness

brotherly kindness

LOVE.

Our Lord said all of this far more simply

and far more clearly, of course.

When asked what our highest calling is

He responded by saying simply,

MAT 22:37 -39 And He said to him, "'You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.'This is the great and foremost commandment. The second is like it, 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.'

That’s what we’re here for,

that’s where we’re headed,

and that is the only true goal of all real spiritual growth.

It is the adventure we’re on

and we have an excellent guide on our adventure-

a man called Peter.

He has already been where we want to go-

he knows the way

and he knows how to get us there.

We have been using the first chapter

of Peter’s second letter

as our map

and so far we have walked through

the first 4 verses of that first chapter.

We have seen that true spiritual growth has nothing whatsoever to do with

faithful adherence to some religious system,

and nothing to do with learning and performing certain spiritual tricks.

We have seen that true spiritual growth

can never be generated by greater effort

or determination

or the investment of time

or energy on our part.

We can never hope to grow stronger

in Christ

by trying harder for Christ.

Even the very best of human effort

and determination

and commitment

and feeling

and fervency

is absolutely worthless and powerless

in its ability to produce true spiritual growth.

Then we heard Peter tell us

that the heart and center of all true spiritual growth

is growing in a personal ‟epignosis” of God Himself.

That fascinating Greek word

is carefully selected by Peter and other New Testament writers

to communicate a personal,

individual,

intimate, growing friendship between us and our Lord.

In verse 3 Peter actually tells us that

everything we need for true success in life

and for experiencing practical godliness - holiness in our lives

comes as a by-product of our growing personal friendship with our Lord.

So that’s the goal of this thing called spiritual growth,

that’s where we’re headed -

seeking to build a growing friendship with our Lord.

That doesn’t sound very complicated, does it?

It doesn’t sound very revolutionary, either.

It sounds like what Christians have been saying

for most of the past 2000 years -

‟Just get to know Jesus better.”

But the amazing thing

is what our religious minds

have done with that knowledge.

We are so fond of the flesh

and of the techniques of the flesh

that we just naturally gravitated back to them

unless we keep listening very carefully

to what Scripture is saying.

If I were to ask most Christians to explain

how they can go about growing in their relationship with Christ

do you know what I think most would say?

I think they would say, ‟Oh, well now let me see,

if I want to grow in my relationship with Christ

I need to read my Bible every single day,

and have a daily prayer time,

and attend church every week, (weather and health permitting,)

and I really should get involved in some type of Christian service or outreach...

oh ya, Bible school would probably be a good thing too.”

When I hear responses like that

two huge questions come to mind to me.

First, why did Peter forget to say those things to us?

I mean, if that really is the key to growing spiritually,

and Peter is writing to us to explain to us how we go about growing spiritually,

why doesn’t II Peter 1: 4 read:

‟Therefore my beloved brethren, rekindle your commitment to daily devotions, and extend your time of prayer. Never miss attendance at the gathering of the brethren, weather and health permitting, and give serious consideration to formal Bible education.”

If the formulas we offer ourselves and others for spiritual growth are correct,

why weren’t they clearly and simply stated by Peter

and Paul

and John?

And the second big question I wrestle with when I run up against those formulas

is why do WE so often come up with them?

And I have an answer, too -

I think it is because we are doing

the very thing Paul criticized the Galatian Christians for doing.

In Galatians 3:3 Paul writes-

Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh?

Look at the type of things we put on our ‟how to grow spiritually” lists -

daily devotions,

regular church attendance

involvement in the church program, etc.

They are all things we can accomplish

through human effort and determination.

They are all things we can do

through the efforts and determination of the flesh.

They are things any human being can accomplish.

Deeply religious non-Christians

can fulfill such a list

equally as well as any Christian.

They are all things the flesh can produce for God.

We are comfortable with them

because we understand the flesh,

and cling to the techniques of the flesh

like a puppy dog who clings to his blanket

because it’s covered with his smell.

But Peter will not let us get away with it.

He gently, but powerfully goes on to reveal to us the truth we so desperately need.

You see, somewhere along the way

we seem to have confused the tools

with the project we were given the tools for.

Let me see if I can explain what I’m trying to say here with an illustration.

I want you to picture a row of new homes

that have just been completed by the builder.

They are good homes at a fair price

and all of them sell quickly.

But there is one problem with these homes - none of them have garages.

As the neighbors on the street begin talking with one another and looking at their houses

they all realize that they really do need a garage.

It becomes the topic of discussion

whenever they see each other.

In fact, they become so concerned about it

that they start gathering together

on a weekly basis to discuss their need for a garage.

They go around to each home and look at where a garage could be attached to each one.

Each week someone brings a different garage plan to present.

The presenter gives a detailed description of the plan

with large diagrams

and hand-out sheets for each person

comparing the cost per square foot and

the advantages and disadvantages

of the design.

As time progresses

the group begins to invite guest lecturers to the meetings -

builders and architects to teach them about designing and building garages.

Then, after more than a year of meetings

the group decides to take on the project

of building the garages themselves.

For several more months

they use the meetings to make lists of all the things they will need for the operation.

Which tools will each homeowner need personally,

and which can they purchase as a group

and share among the families?

Then comes the night when a final decision

must be made on the correct design

for the garages.

The field has been narrowed to just two choices.

The meeting begins with a tremendous sense of excitement

and anticipation

and the two most articulate members of the block

each give a stirring presentation of the reasons for adopting

the plan they prefer personally.

An extensive and heated discussion follows,

with people aligning themselves behind

one plan or the other.

Then things begin to get out of hand.

Some rather tacky remarks are made about some people’s tastes in architecture,

and some nasty accusations are made

about certain people intentionally trying to ruin the look of the block.

Things go from bad to worse

and the meeting finally ends with the block splitting right down the middle,

half wanting one plan,

half the other.

In the weeks that follow two separate groups gather for garage meeting,

and as time progresses

it seems like as much time is spent

pointing out the flaws of the other groups plan

as is spent in discussing the plan their group has chosen.

Occasionally one of the houses on the block is put up for sale

and whenever a new person moves into the area

immediately members from the two garage meetings

descend upon the newcomer with plans,

and books,

and lists,

and charts,

trying to win the allegiance of their new neighbor to the ‟right” garage.

Gradually the men and women on the block

begin the process of accumulating the tools they will need for the great project.

Much time is spent at some of the meetings

going through adds in the newspaper,

looking for good prices on hammers

and saws

and levels

and chalk lines

and squares.

A few of the members even begin stock-piling a few two-by-fours

and sheets of plywood

and sacks of cement.

Each week at garage meeting

the members bring their tool purchases from the past week

and show them to the others.

During the summer special garage programs are held for the children in the neighborhoods.

Special ‟kid-friendly” plans are drawn up for the meetings

and prizes are offered for those children

who are able to memorize

the list of tools necessary for each phase of the construction project.

Craft projects are developed

in which the children build little garage models out of popsicle sticks.

And when the adults meet for their weekly meeting,

occasionally it is discovered that some member of the group

has allowed one of his tools to get rusty,

and the rest of the group then lovingly

encourages the negligent member

to be more diligent in keeping his or her tools in proper working order.

Of course each group also keeps a sharp eye

on the tool purchases of the other garage group down the street.

The greatest fear of both garage groups

is that the group down the street

might get their garages built

before their own group does.

As time progresses

eventually the entire social life of the community

revolves around the garage groups.

Bumper stickers and tee shirts supporting one or the other of the two plans are seen daily on the streets,

and in the grocery store neighbors can often be overheard saying to one another,

‟MY, didn’t we have a wonderful garage meeting last night?

That plan presentation was so inspiring!

I just love the way that door in back opens out onto the patio.

It will make it so much easier to wheel the barbecue in and out.”

At Christmas time little models of the two garage plans are constructed on vacant lots

and decorated with lights

with miniature cars parked inside them.

And forty years latter,

every Thursday evening little old people can be seen clutching well-worn sets of plans,

wearing their leather tool belts

with shinny hammers and tape measures,

heading down the street to one of the two garage meetings.

Their cars are still all parked outside

in the rain,

and the wind,

and the sun,

and the snow,

but as soon as they get things organized

they’re going to build their garage.

The Christian life is not nearly as complicated or confusing

as we sometimes allow it to become.

Our calling,

our reason for being here on this planet

is to begin building an eternal friendship with our Creator,

and then to allow Him to teach us

how we can reach out in love to those He places around us.

By offering us His own death as payment for our sins

Christ Jesus has made it possible

for our friendship with Him to become a daily living reality,

literally living in His presence.

And through the presence of His Spirit within us

He begins teaching us how to love.

I’m certainly not saying it’s easy.

In fact, learning to love our God and the people He’s given us

is often a pain-filled,

devastating experience

that drives us to death to ourselves and a desperate dependance upon our God.

But through His Word

and His gifts

and His Church

and His Spirit

God has given us all the tools we will ever need

for building the relationship with Him that He has called us to build

and living the love-driven life He has called us to live.

But like our dear friends with their garage groups,

it is so easy for us to end up just a half a bubble off,

to get side-tracked on the tools

and the plans

and the preparations.

And sometimes I think we end up confusing the tools

with the project we were given them for.

Do you need a hammer to build a garage?

Can’t build one without it.

But once the focus of our life becomes

the care and shining of our hammer

and the comparing of the kind

and quality of our hammer

to that of those around us

the garage never gets built.

Do we need the Word of God

for growing in our friendship with our Lord

and discovering what it really means to love another human being?

It’s impossible to get there without it.

It can’t be done.

But if we are not careful

a very subtle deception can take root within us.

We can begin believing that our relationship to the tool

is the real issue,

the calling, the focus of our Christian life,

the measure of our success or failure,

and in the process

the real calling of falling in love with our Lord

and loving the desperate, damaged people around us

just never seems to happen.

Do we need prayer?

Do we need the gifts of the Spirit?

Do we need the support and encouragement of one another?

Do you need a level

or a tape measure

or a chalk line

or a square to build a garage?

But they’re all just tools,

given for the real goal of learning

how to love our Lord

and one another more and more.

Increasingly I understand why Paul said to the Corinthians,

But I am afraid, lest as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, your minds should be led astray from the simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ.

This is what Peter is talking with us about

here in II Peter 1.

He is revealing to us

the tools and the projects God offers us

in order to enable us to achieve the true goal

of building a stronger and stronger love relationship with God Himself

and then allowing His life within us

to drive us to reach out in love to those around us.