The Divine Crash

Today’s sermon was interesting.  It was supposed to be an instructional sermon about what to do when your friends hurt you.  It ended up something more.  Something I can’t quite put my finger on.  Feel free to read the notes and enjoy the audio at the bottom, or on iTunes.

 

Psalm 41:9 “Even my good friend, the one I trusted, who shared my food, has kicked me with his heel. A betrayer!

John 13:16-19 “I assure you, servants aren’t greater than their master, nor are those who are sent greater than the one who sent them. Since you know these things, you will be happy if you do them. I’m not speaking about all of you. I know those whom I’ve chose. But this is to fulfill the scripture, the one who eats my bread has turned against me. I’m telliing you this now, before it happens, so that when it does happen you will believe that I AM.”

 

When I was a senior highschool, I had a crush on this girl, Cory Herrlin. I was quite infatuated with her. She moved to Pennsylvania her senior year from the exotic land of Florida because her dad was a pastor.  As soon as I saw her I knew I had to ask her on a date. So I did.  I walked up and asked her to go with me to a movie. And thus began our courtship.  Her dad didn’t like me because I wasn’t up to his standard, now that I have a daughter I understand.  We went on a few dates and I invited her to my youth group and I went to her youth group.  We were both seniors and we were in that awkward how to define our relationship place and then the senior prom was coming up, everyone was clamoring for dates and a friend of mine, Jason, couldn’t get a date and on March 23, 2001 at 11:34am while talking to Cory he said “no one will ever go with me to the prom” and Cory being the good christian that she was said “Any girl would be lucky to go with you to the prom.”  Jason looks up and says “Would you go with me to the prom?”  What was Cory to do? She liked me and wanted to go with me but Jason had asked her via a guilt trip.  Had she said no, this FRIEND of mine would have been devastated.

Now, I find out about this and I am hurt and angry all at the same time.  Why would Jason do this, he knows I like her? Why would Jason decide to guilt her into going with him?

One of my best friends stabbed me in the back and was taking the girl I liked to the prom.  I WAS SUPPOSED TO TAKE HER, NOT HIM, AND HE KNEW IT!!!

My therapist and I still talk about that day.

Now, it has worked out, I got to college and on the first thursday of my freshman year I went to Campus Crusade for Christ and sitting a few rows in front of me was a woman passionately worshipping Jesus Christ.  I have never known a woman to worship God like her.  So I married her.

Ever been there? Ever been betrayed by your best friend? You are in good company. Jesus was, so was David

John 13:16-34

• Jesus and his disciples sit down for a meal, Jesus washes their feet, even Judas’ feet.
• Jesus then says one of them will betray him.

• Specifically one who eats with him.

The disciples, as usual, didn’t get it. So they ask him.

Jesus says it is the one who he gives the dipped bread too.

• The disciples still don’t get it.
• For a host to dip bread into the bowl and give it to a person was the highest honor at the table.  It meant that the person was the guest of honor.  The disciples didn’t understand how someone who gets the highest honor at dinner would be the one to betray him.
• Eating bread with a person is sacred because it is something that takes time and energy to make and is essential to life and now it is being shared. bread and sharing food is a big deal. you are sharing life with them. eat food or die and you don’t do that with someone who will hurt you.

• What does this tell us about communion? What does it say that we dip bread in juice and eat it? Are we becoming the guest of honor? Are we become the one who betrays Jesus?
• What does this tell us about discipleship? Judas listened and did exactly what Jesus was telling him to do.
• Jesus understood the scripture he was quoting.
• Jesus says it is to fulfill the scripture.

Jesus is quoting Psalm 41:9

Psalm 41:9

• By David
• David is probably referring to his friend Ahithophel

• David’s right hand man and counselor, grandfather of Bathsheba. When Absalom tried to overthrow David, Ahithophel deserted David, switched sides and tried to help Absalom. when Absalom lost the fight Ahithophel left Absalom and hanged himself.
• David got betrayed by a trusted friend and family member.

• It has been said that It is not enemies who taunt, or adversaries who insult those we can deal with.  It is my equal, my companion, my friend who has hurt me and that hurts more than you know.

As soon as things got hard the one who was supposed to have David’s back ended up stabbing him in his back.

Even friends turn to enemies when there is suffering. Ever been there? Ever been in the worst place and then suddenly your friends turn against you?

• The last great evil is to kick a person when they are down.

Lifting the heel gives impression of a horse kicking

• Not Anger, just sorrow.
• Picked up in Jeremiah 12:6

David trusted this person and even shared food with him and still ended up getting kicked in the gut by his betrayal.

Jesus trusted Judas and gave him food and washed his feet and still got betrayed by him.

So what does this mean?

• It means the sufferings of the church, like those of her redeemer, generally begin in the church.

• The ones who have lived on the bounty of the church are the first to “lift the heel” against her.
• As soon church gets hard, preaches a bad sermon, picks a bad song, acknowledges the wrong kind of person, or anything else we don’t like they literally lift the heel and run.
• Sometimes sheep have teeth and will bite you as quick as help you.

It means that as a church, no matter what happens, who hurts us, who kicks us while we are down, we are called to follow the new commandment in John 13:34.

• Love each other. Just as I have loved you. So you also must love each other. This is how everyone will know that you are my disciples, when you love each other. not how you love those outside but by how you love those in the church.

It means that when your friends and your family kick you when you are down, betray you, lie to you, hurt you.  It hurts.  It hurts more than anything else but it means you love them anyway.

• Love doesn’t mean excusing it, forgetting it, or pretending it doesn’t exist.  Love means you decide that you want what is best for them, whatever it costs.
• Sometimes the most loving thing you can do is get out of the abusive relationship.
• Sometimes the most loving thing you can do is not have any contact with them.
• Sometimes the most loving thing you can do is delete them from your Facebook and off your Christmas card list.
• Love is not just a sweet-smelling rose. At times it’s a battlefield, where devotion expresses itself in hard-won sacrifice. – Matt Redman

Love does not arrogantly proclaim “I am sublime”. Love humbly whispers in our ear, “You see that person over there? They are sublime” - Peter Rollins

We are called to love them anyway.  You may get kicked in the gut, spit on, hated, and crucified, love anyway.

Kent Keith put it this way:

• People are illogical, unreasonable, and self-centered. Love them anyway.
• If you do good, people will accuse you of selfish ulterior motives. Do good anyway.
• If you are successful, you win false friends and true enemies. Succeed anyway.
• The good you do today will be forgotten tomorrow. Do good anyway.
• Honesty and frankness make you vulnerable. Be honest and frank anyway.
• The biggest men and women with the biggest ideas can be shot down by the smallest men and women with the smallest minds. Think big anyway.
• People favor underdogs but follow only top dogs. Fight for a few underdogs anyway.
• What you spend years building may be destroyed overnight. Build anyway.
• People really need help but may attack you if you do help them. Help people anyway.
• Give the world the best you have and you’ll get kicked in the teeth. Give the world the best you have anyway.

Let us pray.

Sermon Audio

 

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