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The Church of Hard Knocks
Revelation 3:14-22
April 15, 2012

14 “And to the angel of the church in Laodicea write: ‘The words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of God’s creation. 15 “ ‘I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were either cold or hot! 16So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth. 17 For you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing, not realizing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked. 18 I counsel you to buy from me gold refined by fire, so that you may be rich, and white garments so that you may clothe yourself and the shame of your nakedness may not be seen, and salve to anoint your eyes, so that you may see. 19 Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline, so be zealous and repent. 20 Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me. 21 The one who conquers, I will grant him to sit with me on my throne, as I also conquered and sat down with my Father on his throne. 22 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’” ~Revelation 3:14-22

Are you sickeningly lukewarm to Jesus? Does your attitude say “I don’t need you, Jesus”? Often we equate our material riches with spiritual riches. But Jesus reminds us that we are spiritually poor, blind, and naked without him. Jesus wants to meet our spiritual needs. He is knocking on the door. Will we say “I NEED MORE, OPEN THE DOOR” and let him in to meet our spiritual needs?

I suffer because I watch the people I love make unwise and ungodly decisions.

I suffer because I receive constant criticism.

I suffer because I give up time with my family to serve others.

I suffer because I work hard and I hardly feel appreciated.

I suffer because I see others hurting and broken.

I do need the perspective that comes from Paul in Romans 8:18–

For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. ~Romans 8:18

Ultimately, I continue to look to eternity as my motivation:

…which is why I suffer as I do. But I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed, and I am convinced that he is able to guard until that Day what has been entrusted to me. ~2 Timothy 1:12

And through it all, I rejoice.

Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice insofar as you share Christ’s sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed. If you are insulted for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you. But let none of you suffer as a murderer or a thief or an evildoer or as a meddler. Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in that name. ~1 Peter 4:12-16

In all the hoopla of Knicks guard Jeremy Lin’s career game (25 points, 7 assists, 5 rebounds, 2 steals) the other day, a lot of references to his race were made. I was bothered by how many people erroneously  said that he’s from China, and how many others erroneously corrected him saying he’s from Taiwan. The truth is that Jeremy Lin is American, he was born in Palo Alto to Taiwanese-American immigrants.

Lost in everything regarding Jeremy Lin is all the compliments he’s receiving. But something always bothered me. 

Here’s a very good blog post from Timothy Dalrymple, a blogger who has grasped the concept and articulated it more than I ever will:

Philosophical Fragments » Jeremy Lin and the Soft Bigotry of Low Expectations.

Here are some key quotes from him (emphasis mine):

I loved watching Jeremy’s aggression on the court and his enjoyment of the game.  I loved seeing his teammates’ celebration, since Jeremy has obviously won their hearts with his courage and kindness.  I did not love the belittling comments.  Now, I’m always reticent to cry “racism,” and I won’t cry “racism” in this case.  The commentators are not showing hatred of a race.  I won’t even call it bigotry — at least not bigotry outright.  If anything, they’re showing what President Bush famously called “the soft bigotry of low expectations.”  Their astonishment at the sight of Jeremy Lin outperforming the other players, their consistent references to how exhausted he must be, and how “magical” a night he’s having (rather than a natural result of talent and hard work) suggests that they’ve bought into the stereotype of the physically inferior Asian-American male.

For Asian-American men, in contrast, the positive stereotypes are few: they’re good at math and good at short-people sports like table tennis and gymnastics.  The negative stereotypes are legion: they’re the geeky, socially inept guys with coke-can glasses in the engineering labs; they’re the perpetual adolescents playing video games on their super-computers at thirty or forty years old; and they’re the physically and sexually immature, small and timid young men who can’t talk to girls and get their second jobs before they get their first kiss.

I asked Jeremy whether it felt like a burden to carry the hopes and expectations of so many Asian-American men upon his shoulders, and he answered that he couldn’t play for other people.  ”I can’t even play for myself.  The right way to play is not for others and not for myself, but for God.  I still don’t fully understand what that means.  I’m still learning to be selfless and submit myself to God and give the game up to Him.  My audience is God.”  He does, however, have a responsibility to be a “godly role model,” and when I asked whether it would please him if his success shattered negative stereotypes of Asian males, he broke into a big smile.  ”I would be pleased,” he said.  ”Absolutely, I would be pleased.”

So would I.  You go, Jeremy.

 Maybe it was a rejection letter, or a promotion you didn’t get, or a romantic relationship that ended. No matter what, it was something you wanted, and the way was blocked.

 Often when you face closed doors in our lives, you tend to get frustrated. You may ask God, “Why did You close that door, Lord?” If you’re anything like me, you may even get angry at God with denied opportunities: “Why are You doing this to me, God?”

 Why does God close doors? Why does He sometimes block us from having things? God closes doors because He has something better in mind.

 In Acts 16:6-10, Paul and his companions learn a very important lesson. As they tried to preach the gospel in Asia Minor andBithynia, they found the doors closed (v.6-7). The Holy Spirit stopped them from preaching. You can just imagine the frustration in the minds of these men. After all, what could be more worthwhile than evangelizing the lost?

 When they reached the port city of Troas, Paul learns why God closed the doors to Asia andBithynia. A man of Macedonia came to Paul in a vision, begging him to go toMacedoniaand help them (v.9)!

 God’s desire was to bring the gospel toEurope, where it had never been before. And because these men set sail forMacedonia, the gospel reached cities like Philippi, Thessalonica, and Corinth.

 More importantly, because God guided these men westward, the gospel spread throughout Europe. Millions of Christians, including myself, can thank God that the gospel made it to Europe. Do you see why God closed those other doors?

 When God closes doors in your life, it’s because He has something better in mind. It’ll be better for both you and His kingdom. Maybe God wanted you to be in a certain situation because it’ll bring you closer to Him, or further the cause of the gospel somehow. We may never know.

 I am living proof that God has better things in mind. God closed doors in my life, denying me opportunities that I really wanted. But I’m in Texas now, pursuing God’s call to full-time ministry and now happily married with a beautiful baby because God closed those doors. And I should thank Him everyday.

 When God closes doors, it can be very frustrating. But take heart, because God’s plan is much better. Look for the open doors elsewhere. God will bring about what is best.

The Life and Death of Pvt. Danny Chen — New York Magazine.

Danny Chen’s Family Says He was Abused Almost Daily — Huffington Post

Superiors Failed To Report Manhattan Soldier’s Abuse, Army Officials Say

The story of Pvt. Danny Chen is  such a tragedy. He was a smart and determined kid from Chinatown. All he wanted was to join the Army. Now he is dead:

Nine months later, he was found dead in Afghanistan of what the Army has described as “an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound.” Since Danny Chen’s death, details of his story have slowly emerged, relayed by Army officials to his family. A group of his superiors allegedly tormented Chen on an almost daily basis over the course of about six weeks in Afghanistan last fall. They singled him out, their only Chinese-American soldier, and spit racial slurs at him: “gook,” “chink,” “dragon lady.” They forced him to do sprints while carrying a sandbag. They ordered him to crawl along gravel-covered ground while they flung rocks at him. And one day, when his unit was assembling a tent, he was forced to wear a green hard-hat and shout out instructions to his fellow soldiers in Chinese.

Wouldn’t it be great if we could do great workouts, because we’ve already been given the ability? I wish I could go out and dunk a basketball or hit a baseball 400 feet, or swim 2000 meters. I wish I could just have the ability, and then I have to do to is to go out and do it.

In our walks with God, we have a remarkable “workout.” God gives us the ability, the will, the desire, to do what’s pleasing to Him, and all we have to do is go out and do it. God does the work in, we do the work out.

The apostle Paul wrote:

Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed–not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence–continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling,
Philippians 2:12

In Philippians 2, Paul calls the believers to have the same attitude as Jesus Christ, who humbled himself in obedience to the Father, that even though he was God, he put aside his status and became like a servant.  When Paul says “therefore” in verse 12, we know that somehow what he’s going to write is connected with us having the same obedient attitude as Christ.

Paul goes on, “therefore, just as you’ve always obeyed, not just in my presence but even more in my absence.” Paul is proud of this group of believers because they’ve shown that they have been obedient to God. They’ve lived according to what is pleasing to God, and have done things in accordance to His will and His character. And Paul says that they’ve obeyed not just in his presence but also when he’s been away.

Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed–not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence–continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling…
for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose.
Philippians 2:12-13

Verse 13 tells us that it is God who is the one who works in us. He’s working in you, he’s working in me. That in the heart of a believer, God the Holy Spirit has changed our hearts. The Bible talks about how part of salvation is God taking our heart of stone and replacing it with a heart of flesh. A heart that wants to obey God, a heart that wants to serve Him and do what’s pleasing to Him. So here it says that God has worked in us. He’s worked inside us. And we have to work out what God’s already worked in us.  God does the work in, and we do the work out.

What is God challenging you to obey Him with? Maybe God’s been telling you to forgive someone who has really hurt you. If so, would you work out your salvation, what God’s already done in you, so that you can forgive that person? Maybe God’s been challenging you to step up in ministry. If so, would you work out your salvation, what God has already done in you, so that you can serve Him and do it well? Maybe God’s been moving you to get rid of a sinful habit: maybe gossip, maybe laziness, or maybe pornography. Would you work out your salvation, what God has already done in you, and put in some good habits instead?

Remember, this is not working hard without God. God does the work in, we do the work out. God does the work in, we do the work out. And God has already given us the desire and the will to do what is pleasing to him. Because of this, in the end, we wont’ be saying “look how faithful we are for working hard” but we’ll be saying “Look how great God is for working in us.” We just need to work it out. Will you join me for the best workout?

Now he had to go through Samaria.
So he came to a town in Samaria called Sychar, near the plot of ground Jacob had given to his son Joseph.
Jacob’s well was there, and Jesus, tired as he was from the journey, sat down by the well. It was about the sixth hour.
John 4:4-6

She came to the well during the sixth hour, in the heat of the day, long after the women of the village were gone. She couldn’t face them, not after the scornful looks and the silent treatment they would give her. She knew she deserved it, with her promiscuous lifestyle–having lover after lover. And now she was living with a man who wasn’t even her husband.

At the well, two figures who should have never interacted, yet their connection exemplifies the mission of Christ, and the love that God has for us. Jesus reached out to the lonesome woman:

When a Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus said to her, “Will you give me a drink?”
John 4:7

He offered her living water, so that she would never thirst again. The woman marveled at this. What the woman didn’t understand was that Jesus was not offering her something physical, but something spiritual.

Jesus answered, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again,
but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”
John 4:13-14

Jesus was offering her salvation–a relationship with God. Forgiveness of her sins, yes, but more importantly, peace with God and eternal life. A chance to be connected with the Father.

Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks.
John 4:23

The Father is seeking worshipers. He’s looking for people who will trust Him, bring Him glory, and know the truth.

Like this woman, we look for fulfillment in things other than God. She was trying to quench her thirst. For her, it was romance. There was a void in her that she was trying to fill. Sometimes we try to fill that void with success, popularity, academics, money, influence, or distractions. Like the woman, who was at least on her sixth lover, none of them satisfied.

Yet only God can satisfy that need forever. That void can be filled with a relationship with God. He can quench that thirst. That’s what Jesus was offering the woman at the well. God can quench your thirst forever. Will you trust Him, receive His gift of salvation through His Son, and fill that void?

It’s remarkable that Jesus renamed Simon “Peter.” The rock. Something immovable, something unshakable, something reliable. But in many ways, Peter wasn’t a rock. He wasn’t reliable when he thought Jesus needed him to be.

In Caesarea Philippi, Peter got Jesus’ identity right. He nailed it:

When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?” They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” “But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?” Simon Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by man, but by my Father in heaven. And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.”
Matthew 16:13-19

Peter probably felt pretty good about himself after that. But soon after, Peter seems to lose the favor of Jesus:

From that time on Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life. Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. “Never, Lord!” he said. “This shall never happen to you!” Jesus turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men.”
Matthew 16:21-23

Peter was not the rock he thought he was. I could just imagine Peter vowing to himself that he would never let Jesus down again.

At the Last Supper, after Jesus washed his disciples’ feet and predicts his betrayal, Peter tries to vow his allegiance to Jesus:

Simon Peter asked him, “Lord, where are you going?” Jesus replied, “Where I am going, you cannot follow now, but you will follow later.” Peter asked, “Lord, why can’t I follow you now? I will lay down my life for you.” Then Jesus answered, “Will you really lay down your life for me? I tell you the truth, before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times!
John 13:36-38

After dinner, Jesus went to the garden to pray, and brought Peter and two other disciples with him. At the garden, Jesus gave them one simple task:

They went to a place called Gethsemane, and Jesus said to his disciples, “Sit here while I pray.” He took Peter, James and John along with him, and he began to be deeply distressed and troubled. “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death,” he said to them. “Stay here and keep watch.” Going a little farther, he fell to the ground and prayed that if possible the hour might pass from him. “Abba, Father,” he said, “everything is possible for you. Take this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will.” Then he returned to his disciples and found them sleeping. “Simon,” he said to Peter, “are you asleep? Could you not keep watch for one hour? Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the body is weak.” Once more he went away and prayed the same thing. When he came back, he again found them sleeping, because their eyes were heavy. They did not know what to say to him. Returning the third time, he said to them, “Are you still sleeping and resting? Enough! The hour has come. Look, the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. Rise! Let us go! Here comes my betrayer!”
Mark 14:32-42

Three times Jesus asked them to stay awake and keep watch, and the three disciples, led by Peter, let him down in his time of need. Peter was not a rock. Yet Jesus gave him another chance.

When Jesus was being arrested, Peter tried to protect him, but Jesus rebukes him again:

Then Simon Peter, who had a sword, drew it and struck the high priest’s servant, cutting off his right ear. (The servant’s name was Malchus.) Jesus commanded Peter, “Put your sword away! Shall I not drink the cup the Father has given me?”
John 18:10-11

How embarrassing for Peter. Maybe he wasn’t as favored as he thought he was. But he was probably determined not to let Jesus down again.

Then seizing him, they led him away and took him into the house of the high priest. Peter followed at a distance. But when they had kindled a fire in the middle of the courtyard and had sat down together, Peter sat down with them. A servant girl saw him seated there in the firelight. She looked closely at him and said, “This man was with him.” But he denied it. “Woman, I don’t know him,” he said. A little later someone else saw him and said, “You also are one of them.” “Man, I am not!” Peter replied. About an hour later another asserted, “Certainly this fellow was with him, for he is a Galilean.” Peter replied, “Man, I don’t know what you’re talking about!” Just as he was speaking, the rooster crowed. The Lord turned and looked straight at Peter. Then Peter remembered the word the Lord had spoken to him: “Before the rooster crows today, you will disown me three times.” And he went outside and wept bitterly.
Luke 22:54-62

A dark time for Peter. He had betrayed his master. What Judas did was bad, but what Peter did was just as bad. He was not a rock. He was not reliable.

Jesus was arrested, mocked, interrogated, tortured, beaten, and nailed to a cross of wood. And Peter was nowhere to be found. Jesus was innocent, yet he was suffering the worst death anyone could ever experience. And Peter was not solid and reliable.

Jesus died and was buried. I could imagine that all Peter could think about was how much he had hurt, betrayed, and disappointed his master.

Many of you know the rest of the story of Jesus. The miracle of the resurrection! God had conquered death. Easter Sunday is the defining event of our faith!

After Jesus resurrected, he appeared to his disciples several times. One time, he appeared to them at the sea. A miraculous catch of fish. Peter jumped into the water and swam back to shore to see Jesus:

When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you truly love me more than these?” “Yes, Lord,” he said, “you know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Feed my lambs.” Again Jesus said, “Simon son of John, do you truly love me?” He answered, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Take care of my sheep.” The third time he said to him, “Simon son of John, do you love me?” Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, “Do you love me?” He said, “Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Feed my sheep. I tell you the truth, when you were younger you dressed yourself and went where you wanted; but when you are old you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go.” Jesus said this to indicate the kind of death by which Peter would glorify God. Then he said to him, “Follow me!”
John 21:15-19

Why did Jesus give Peter another chance?

Why did Jesus give Peter another chance to be his disciple?

Why did Jesus give Peter another chance to serve him?

Why did Jesus forgive Peter?

Jesus gave Peter yet another chance–chance after chance after chance–because of his death and resurrection.

Jesus took the sin of the world–including Peter’s, and including mine and yours–and died the death we should have died. All we have to do is place our trust in Him, to believe, and we can be forgiven. Jesus rose from the grave, showing that he is God, showing that his words are reliable, and to show that we have new life.

Why does God give us another chance? Because of the death and resurrection of Christ. We are forgiven, justified, redeemed, because of Jesus. And this time, there is no fear of failure.

He is risen!

When I survey the wondrous cross,
On which the Prince of glory died,
My richest gain I count but loss,
And pour contempt on all my pride.

Forbid it, Lord, that I should boast,
Save in the death of Christ my God!
All the vain things that charm me most,
I sacrifice them to His blood.

See from His head, His hands, His feet,
Sorrow and love flow mingled down!
Did e’er such love and sorrow meet,
Or thorns compose so rich a crown?

His dying crimson, like a robe,
Spreads o’er His body on the tree;
Then I am dead to all the globe,
And all the globe is dead to me.

Were the whole realm of nature mine,
That were a present far too small;
Love so amazing, so divine,
Demands my soul, my life, my all!

~Isaac Watts

I attended the workshop on“Asian-American Christian Thought and Theological History: Pastoral Implications for Diversity and Innovation in a Multiracial Church”, led by Stephen Um and Julius Kim.

The workshop was more of a panel discussion and Q&A rather than a time of teaching. Um and Kim brought up some issues which are very important to ministering as Asian-Americans. Here are some highlights:

• Asian-Americans have had different patterns of immigration. For example, South Koreans experienced “elite” immigration: highly educated and successful individuals come to America for further advancement. In contrast,  Southeast Asians often have traumatic experiences when coming to this country: many are refugees, fleeing from oppression and war. These varying immigrant experiences do transform the way we see God and the church. We Asian-Americans have value systems shaped by our varying experiences with immigration and assimilation. Have we felt accepted? How have we experienced racism? What kind of worldly success have we experienced in America? Having an acute awareness of this helps us to minister differently to different groups.
• Speak the gospel into Asian-Americans’ performance anxiety. Never assume that people understand the gospel. The gospel is the great grand redemptive narrative of God. Creation–>Fall–>Redemption–>New Creation.
  Ask why Asian-Americans are anxious. They are struggling with idols of approval and affirmation. They find that acceptance by working hard. Failure makes them feel like losers.How do you speak to this heart? The King of the universe considers you a child of God. It’s the finished work of Christ, not in your own performance. This overcomes your restlessness.
•  Because many of us Asian-Americans work from a shame-based perspective, we often we default to moralism.  We are looking for approval. It’s not a guilt-based perspective (individualistic) worldview, where feel bad because we didn’t do what was right. We are shame-based: we feel bad because we didn’t meet expectations. It’s so easy for us to reduce the Scripture to mere moralism. But the grand narrative of God is so much more than that.  The gospel is an announcement of what God has done. It’s not looking in upon myself and what I must do and what I must think. Asians worry, we are very introspective. We worry about expectations placed on us. Instead of looking inside, we should look outside. Look outside of the approval-anxiety idols. Often, we forget the gospel. We must be preaching the gospel to ourselves.  Once again, we must repent and believe.
• The gospel is about power distribution, not power accrual. Being a minority in a majority culture, we need to be invited to have a seat of power. In raising up leaders in our churches,  often we raise up leaders from what they do and say. But asians don’t put themselves forward. We are more accommodating. We’re not good about advancing ourselves. We don’t see assertiveness in Asians. We suppress it because of the confluence of both western and eastern value systems. We don’t want to stick out. Jesus, in his earthly ministry, was all about inviting people to lead. A gospel-centered system distributes power, and does not encourage people to accrue power for themselves.