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In the movie, "the Princess Bride", there are many quotes that are noteworthy. There were also many characters who contributed to making this rather odd bedtime story read by a grandfather (Peter Falk, "Colombo") to his grandson (Fred Savage), become a movie classic. Here are some of the other characters... Andre the Giant… Wesley and Buttercup… Inigo and the six fingered man… And last, but not least, Billy Crystal, playing the part of Miracle Max and Carol Kane as his wife. And here are are my top 8 quotes from the movie… 1. "As you wish…" 2. "He's just mostly dead…" 3. "Have fun stormin' the castle…" 4. "Inconceivable…" 5. "Rodents of unusual size…" 6. "Hello, my name is Inigo Montoya, you killed my father, prepared to die…" 7. And who could forget... "Mawwage... mawwage is what bwings us togevver today.... and wuv...twue wuv..." But the quote I find most pertinent for today's devotion is when indigo attempts to recount the story and all the things that have just happened. He says, "Let me splain… No let me sum up". Sometimes the best thing we can do in the interest of time is to "sum up". To summarize. To condense. To show the "highlight reel", or as we mentioned last week in part one, "giving the essence". How in the world can we "condense" the Bible? Not that we would ever want to diminish it, boil it down like Jesus "highlighted" the greatest Commandment to "loving God and loving your neighbor". Last week I picked 5 things to "boil down", so to speak, in hopes we can remember and recall. They were… prayer, the gospel, our salvation, ministry, and the Lord's Supper. Getting a handle on those things and knowing scripture references can help us in our conversations of building up each other, and reaching out to those who may have questions of rather God who loves us and sent His Son to die in our place. But today I'd like for us to consider four things in scripture that appeared to be the essence of what should happen in our lives spiritually. Fortunately, they all begin with the same letter as too many sermons by preachers who find "alliteration" to be a doable challenge! So here we go… #1...to BELIEVE One of my favorite verses in the Bible is Hebrews 11:6, which says, "For without FAITH, it is impossible to please God, because whoever comes to Him must believe that He exists, and that He rewards those who diligently seek Him." The Bible is full of ENCOURAGEMENT for us to simply believe in God. Not just our notion of God, but the God who reveals Himself, not only through nature, but through His Word (Romans 1). A man asked Jesus one time for healing for his son. He ended his appeal to the Lord by saying, "if you can". Jesus in replied by repeating the man's phrase and clarifying that "all things are possible to those who believe". To which the man responded, "I do believe, help my unbelief". I think we all can identify with that man's struggle of consistent belief. Down deep, we know God is capable, but many times we question whether it's probable, or whether we are deserving of His mercy, grace, and answered prayers. Jesus was pretty consistent in gently, but firmly confronting the disciples concerning their "lack of faith". James talks about the difference between a "DEMONIC faith and a DYNAMIC faith". (No I can't take credit for that phrase, but I heard it years ago in a sermon and love the contrast). He tells us that if we think only believing is enough without having any works that reflect that belief, and we need to remember that the demons also believe and tremble. So how is the "level of your belief" in the one who made us in His image? Let's move onto the second element that I believe would be listed in the essentials of God's will for us… #2...to BECOME The spring after Sue Linn and I got married years ago, we decided to get a little puppy. I thought it was the least I could do for her birthday. Now she grew up being a "dog person", in sharp contrast to me growing up with some farming and livestock in which I became a "hog person". Not quite to the level of Arnold Ziffel off the TV show "Green Acres", but I did know more about hogs than dogs! So I'm purchasing a little miniature dachshund that we named, "Herbie", & that involved a visit to a family out in the country who bred those dogs. I found the conversation with the lady of the household, fascinating. Now in that area of time (1978), the rise of "New Age" thinking was becoming prevalent. So as we picked out our new puppy, the lady tried to make small talk and ask what I did for a living. Without thinking, I simply replied honestly, I'm a youth minister at the church in town.. And here we go… She gave me all of her reasons why God is "in the trees", evolution is true, and in her opinion, God is who we make him out to be. Your opinion is as good as anyone else's. All I really wanted to do was buy the puppy and make my wife happy, but this lady wanted to "spiritually spar". It's usually the salesperson who is saying, "may I have the check, please"? But in this case, it was me saying, "may I just give you the check and leave with the puppy, please"? And after about 10 minutes of me, dodging that false teaching as I muttered, "Well… Well… Well", I called a TV timeout & tried my best to "give an account of the hope that lies within me" as Peter tells us to do. I think it was when she asked the rhetorical question. "We're all God's children, no matter what we believe, don't you think?" That phrase put me over the edge and I knew I had to speak up. So I limited my spiritual conversation to the gospel of John 1:11-12, "He came unto His own, but His own did not receive Him. But to all who did receive Him, to all who believed on His name, He gave the RIGHT to BECOME the children of God." And I tried my best to articulate my belief that we all are NOT God's children. We ARE all God's creation, but BECOMING His child is a "right that's given" when we believe in His Son. Now, I didn't expect a positive response and I wasn't sure if she was willing to engage further in a conversation that I wouldn't allow her to control. I kinda hoped she would say, "could you tell me what you mean by that"? But she didn't. I could sense she'd been down that path before of bullying Christians, daring them to challenge her pontificating "all dogs go to heaven" theology. But it was at that point she became a business person saying, "May I have the check, please"? And it was at that point I became a dog owner for the first time of our married life! I think that conversation galvanized my thinking on the subject. I knew that passage, but hadn't seen the antithesis of it play out before in a dialogue. We GET to become the children of God. It's a RE-BIRTH RIGHT given to those who believe. And we are to continue to become more like Jesus on a "day-to-day / moment by moment" basis. Most of us are familiar with Romans 8:28, which says, "God works all things together for good for those who love Him and are called according to His purpose". But we need to look at the next verse. Reading on in verse 29, the Bible says the reason for all that is so that we might be "CONFORMED to the image of His Son." In other words, God wants us to continue to become more like Him! So the question for all of us today is simple. Are we becoming more like Jesus, more like our ancestry.com, or more like the culture around us? We are in exile. Christians are no longer the "home team" with a home court advantage. We are definitely living in a post-Christian era. And we are to "thrive in Babylon", as Larry Osborn states so well in his book. And we will, if we continue to allow Him to help us become who He wants us to become for His glory. #3...to BEHAVE Well, you won't hear me quote from the movie, "Austin Powers" very often, but when Mike Myers, with his English accent says, "Oh be-have", you might not laugh, but you have to chuckle! So much of the Bible talks about our behavior. It's based on an understanding that God is holy, and we are to be holy as well. Now we can't pull that off without him, and certainly not without His Holy Spirit living in our heart, prompting us to DO His will, and steering us away from what would be detrimental behavior to our lives or to the reputation of His kingdom. Jesus' teaching on the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5-7 is recognized as the paramount teaching in the gospels of what our behavior is to look like. He also gives the reasoning behind it. When telling the Jewish people who were listening at the time, that underneath the commandment against adultery, was the sin of lust, and beneath the commandment against murder, was all about HATRED. He indicates that we need to guard our hearts on a foundational level so we won't MIS-behave in a way that dishonors Him. And all of the epistles of the New Testament, the writers give clear pictures of what our behavior is to be like. Paul mentioned church discipline to the Corinthians and they needed it because their behavior certainly needed realignment. And James' teaching gives a great insight and to how we recover from bad behavior. He says in 5:16 that we are to "Confess our sins to one another and pray for each other so that we might be healed." Notice there that confession is MUTUAL. We all struggle. We all misbehave. We all are deep into His AMAZING GRACE! And the healing God wants to bring about in our "misbehaving hearts and lives" is born out of vulnerability. It surfaces in safe relationships. And it doesn't come about without prayer. So how is our behavior these days? Are we living "such good lives among the pagans" they can see the difference God makes? (1 Peter 2) Are we helping one another along this journey of life so that we might be able to finish well for the kingdom of God? Now the final "B word" might be the hardest… #4...to BEQUEATH We are to believe in the one true God, become his children growing more like him every day, behave in this world in a manner that is worthy of him, and finally, we are to leave a legacy of faith and faithfulness. Paul told Timothy in his second letter that he had "fought the fight, kept the faith and was anticipating the reward". He tells believers in other places that they, themselves are his legacy. Their spiritual lives became the evidence of his faithfulness to his calling by God. The old saying that you never see a hearse with a U-Haul behind it is very true. We can't take it with us. But what we CAN do is leave behind the evidence that we believed, became, behaved (with the help of God) and one day ENTRUSTED it to the next generation beneath us. And maybe even the generation after them as well! The Bible says that a good man leaves an inheritance for his children's children. And I would simply add to that the perspective that it's more than money or land that our families inherit from us. Values are caught more than they are taught. And for all of us at this age and stage of life that we find ourselves, God might just be getting our attention a little more as to not only the blessing of life, but the BREVITY of it. Sorry, I really am stuck on the letter B today, I guess! So what will we leave behind? I'm so thankful that my parents did all they could to train me up in the way I should go and raise me and my sister in the admission of the Lord. They had their work cut out for them. And so do we. The challenge of leaving faith in the minds and hearts of our kids and grandkids is always before us. One day it will be behind us. But until that day, may we live out the essence of a godly life that doesn't just believe or behave in order to go to heaven, but rather we believe because we are convicted in our hearts that Jesus is "the way, the truth, and the life and no man comes to the Father except through Him!" Love you guys… And if you're reading this Sunday night… Please know I can't wait till Tuesday night where we can all come together to "encourage one another as we see the day approaching!" Hope to see you Tuesday night! george
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