A sermon preached by the Reverend Scott D. Nowack on August 14, 2011 at the First Presbyterian Church of Kilgore, Texas.

 

Stand Your Ground!

Mark 6:14-29

           

On any given day in your life, do you seek worldly success or spiritual significance? 

One Sunday before the fall of the Soviet Union, believers arrived at a house church in the city in small groups throughout the day so as not to arouse the suspicion of the KGB informers.  They began by singing a hymn quietly.  Suddenly, in walked two soldiers with loaded weapons at the ready.  One shouted, “If you wish to renounce your faith and commitment to Jesus Christ, leave now!”

            Two left quickly, then another.  After a few more seconds, two more left.

            “This is your last chance.  Either turn against your faith in Christ,” he ordered, “or stay and suffer the consequences.”

            Two more slipped out into the night.  No one else moved.  Parents with children trembling beside them looked down reassuringly, fully expecting to be gunned down or imprisoned.

            The other soldier closed the door, looked back at those who stood against the wall and said, “Keep your hands up because it’s time to praise the Lord!  We, too, are Christians.  We were sent to another house church several weeks ago to arrest a group of believers.  But, instead, we converted!  We have learned by experience, however, that unless people are willing to die for their faith, they cannot be fully trusted.”

            Are we willing to stand up for our faith putting our spiritual priorities ahead of all else?  In our lives, do we strive for worldly success or spiritual significance?

            We see this tension between the power of God and the worldly powers that be at work in the heart of Herod Antipas, the Roman ruler of Galilee and Perea. 

Herod was living large hosting decadent parties, wearing the most luxurious garments, and dining on the finest food.  He could have whatever he wanted whenever he wanted.  The sky was the limit with Mr. Herod Antipas.  Any good intentions on Herod’s part as ruler of the people are overshadowed and engulfed by ambition, envy, fear and compromise.  In spite of this, Herod is living the good life.

As Jesus’ fame grew and spread across Galilee and throughout Israel, tension, fear and animosity increased among the powers that be towards Jesus and others related to him.  And Herod Antipas was no exception.  Word of the amazing teachings and healings of Jesus was on everybody’s lips, it spread like a wildfire, and made Herod quite uneasy and fearful. 

            Haunted by what he heard about Jesus, Herod thinks back to that dreadful night, the night he had John the Baptist beheaded on request from his wife through his daughter.  Mark tells us the whole story of the decadent birthday party, the sensual dance, and the impulsive promise Herod made.  Herod put himself between a rock and hard place.  The Bible says, “The king was deeply grieved” by his daughter’s request.  He didn’t want to behead John, but he also had to look good with the members of his court and his guests and with his daughter. 

Herod was conflicted   On one hand he is engulfed in the ambition, power and wealth of his position as governor and doesn’t want to lose it.  But on the other hand, he also liked John the Baptist.  He feared John, he respected and revered him. 

The contrast between these two men is sharp.  We have two very different men: one is successful according to worldly standards, and the other is successful according to God’s standards.

In the end, Herod’s admiration for John is not enough.  Wealth, power, prestige, and pride win out for Herod causing God’s anointed messenger to lose his head.

Will we stand up for our faith, stand up for what we believe is right in the eyes of God, no matter the price?  Or will we be like Herod, moving and swaying to and fro in the breeze intoxicated on worldly success? 

It’s not easy being a Christian.  God never promised us a perfect life.  If we are honest with ourselves, we would admit to living in this tension between worldly success and spiritual significance. 

To be a disciple of Christ tells the world around us what we stand for, what we believe in, what is true and that truth can be trusted.  To be a follower of Christ is to go against the flow; to be counter cultural.  To be in a relationship with Christ means we choose a life of spiritual significance over a life of worldly success.

You and I are taught from an early age what it means to be successful.  From our first day in Kindergarten, getting good grades, excelling at reading, writing and math divided the “successful” smart children from the “not so successful” average & below average children.  We learned quickly what we needed to do to earn our teacher’s approval and be a good, successful student.  And we carried this through our childhood into adolescents and adulthood.  We were taught to strive for personal success, get the good grades, excel at sports, and get involved in as many extracurricular activities as possible so you can get into a good college. 

College success was good grades, choosing a career and getting a high-paying job after graduation.  And with that high paying job, the culture continues to put more material items in front of our eyes to reach for, so we can be seen by the world’s standards as successful: big house, a fancy car, lots of land, designer clothes, exotic vacations and much more.  It’s a never-ending quest for more, more, more.  Consumerism is a very powerful force.  But does it ever give us spiritual significance?  Does all this worldly, material success make us truly significant?

I can’t begin to tell you of my own struggle between worldly success and spiritual significance. 

I’ve learned that my struggle between success and significance is a battle in my mind.  My wife calls it stinkin’ thinkin’.  I am able to afford much of what I want and yet I never seem to have enough.  My mind tells me that I never have enough money or enough clothes or enough books or enough tools.  Paying my bills every month was depressing because I hoped I had enough to cover everything.  I would be angry with myself, with God, with the whole world because of my stinkin’ thinkin’. 

And the hardest part for me to understand and accept is that I know better than this!  I know in my heart which well has the living water.  I know in my heart to whom I belong.  I know in my soul who created me and has carried me along through this strange journey called the Christian life.  I know in my spirit that material success is nice, but it doesn’t fill the God-shaped hole inside me.  When the world around me tempts my spirit to seek personal satisfaction from material things, I pray to God to help me stand my ground! 

Unless I’ve missed my guess, is there someone here today who’s struggling with the tension of worldly success verses spiritual significance.  Is there someone here who struggles with finances; the desire for personal prestige, to be a martyr symbol in the lives of others, or a past action that rears its ugly head disrupting your new found peace.  My friends, stand your ground because God stands with you.  Don’t let others steal your joy; the joy you find in Christ.

Stand your ground knowing that you are more than a conqueror, you are more than another pretty face, you are more than what your job title says because you are a child of God and precious in his sight.

Stand your ground on the foundation of Christ Jesus knowing the wisdom of this world is foolishness in the eyes of God.

Stand your ground in the face of the temptation to climb the corporate ladder of career success knowing that your faith in Christ Jesus is your purpose for living.

Stand your ground when you are hypnotized by the wealth, power, and intrigue found in the “Herod’s Royal Courts” of this world knowing with confidence you are wrapped tightly in the arms of a loving God who will not let you go.

Do we seek worldly success or spiritual significance?  The Gospel story of the death of John the Baptist invites us to take a closer look at what defines success, to look beyond the glitz and the glamour, to see worldly success for all its advantages and shortcomings; and then to choose spiritual significance as you and I follow, love and serve the Lord each and every day.  Amen.