"Dream Stealers"

Matthew 12:1-8

Sunday, May 4, 2008

Introduction: Alan Jones, in his book Passion for Pilgrimage, said this: “We live in a time when faith is thin, because our aching for what is above and beyond us has been anaesthetized and our capacity for wonder reduced to clever tricks.”

I spent 3 years pastoring at a church in Pueblo West, Colorado. One of the nice things about Pueblo West, is that we would get some snow, but not a great amount; not enough to disturb your life.

Snow is one of God’s inventions that causes us to wonder; especially having been born and raised in Southern California, I did not experience much snow in my life. So it was intriguing to me when it snowed. But even more, it was intriguing to my son Tyler, who spent the first 3 years of his life in Colorado. And I remember the first time we let him go out and experience the snow for himself. He was about 1 at the time, and we got him all dressed up in his snow clothes. And then we went out to our front hard and played in the snow. He thought it was the greatest.

I loved watching the wonder that Tyler experienced during this time of playing. Kids have so much wonder in their being. But unfortunately, we lose much of this wonder as we get older. We get hardened towards life; and towards God. Today we are starting a series from the book Dangerous Wonder, by Mike Yaconelli. And I hope that through this series we will gain back some of the wonder God wants us to experience in life and faith.

I. The Obstacle of Dullness- (Matthew 16:24-25)

Wonder is about surrendering ourselves to those things of God, which we do

not understand. And really, these times of wonder are holy moments; moments where we are giving ourselves over to the presence of God. We should want a lifetime of these moments; a lifetime of wonder. Jesus challenged those around him to become more like children; children who have a great capacity to wonder. What would happen if we took Jesus’ advice? It might be dangerous in a sense, because we would have to stop letting the obstacles around us “squelch our wonder and steal our souls.”

To live in “dangerous wonder” we have to overcome some obstacles. The first obstacle is the obstacle of dullness. Dullness is a critical issue facing Christians today. Too many Christians have lost the sense of astonishment. We have lost the sense that the “Good News” of Jesus’ teaching is really good news. We think that it is okay news. Now why would I say that? Because if we really believed it was “good” news, then we would be offering it to all those around us who do not know about it.

Another part of the dullness of the Christian life is that Christianity is no longer “life changing.” People see their faith more as life enhancing. What is the difference? The difference is that for our faith to be life changing, we have to give ourselves totally over to the ways and teaching of God. As Jesus said in Matthew 16:24-25, “Then Jesus said to his disciples, ‘Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. ²⁵ For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it.’” But people don’t want to be a radical for Jesus anymore. They just want to be nicer. What happened to radical Christianity, the kind that turned the world upside-down?

A. W. Tozer said a long time ago: “Culture is putting out the light in men

and women’s souls.” Dullness is not just a religious issue, it is a cultural issue. Our entire culture has become dull in so many ways. People have lost the sparkle in their eyes in regards to life. Marriages have lost their passion; work has lost its meaning; and faith has lost its joy.

The Bible names this problem; SIN. Sin isn’t just turning our backs on God and God’s ways, it is turning our backs on the life God has created for us. The greatest enemy of Christianity isn’t those who don’t believe, but those who say they believe but who are no longer astonished and amazed by life. Jesus Christ didn’t just come to rescue us from sin, but to rescue us from listlessness and lostness. We have forgotten how to dance, and sing, and laugh. We have allowed technology to beat our imaginations into submission, and we have become tourists rather than travelers. This has led us to live a life of mediocrity.

II. The Obstacle of Dream Stealers- (Matthew 12:1-8)

The second obstacle is that of “dream stealers.” Somewhere along the way

the child has been chased out of us. It is usually done when others tell us what we “can’t do.”

Example- I have an uncle who is an artist. He is very skilled at drawing. But he tells me that when kids start out in drawing, we should not give them any limitations. He says that we shouldn’t make them stay within the lines, or draw things as we expect them to be. To do this limits their imagination and creativity, and steals away their ability to dream.

In many ways, our current form of schooling can be a dream stealer.

Story: There is a story of a high school student whose father was a horse trainer. Because the family had to follow the horse-racing season, the young boy had to change schools throughout the year. During his senior year he was asked to write a paper about what his dreams for the future were. His paper described his dream of owning a 200-acre horse ranch with stables and tracks, and a 4,000-square-foot home. He even drew a diagram of the property and the design of his house. When he got the paper back there was a big “F” on the front. When the boy sought out the teacher for an explanation, the teacher explained to the boy that his dream was “unrealistic.” The teacher said that if the boy re-wrote the paper with a much more realistic dream, he would reconsider the grade. The boy went home and discussed this with his father, who told his son it was his decision. The next day the boy went up to the teacher, and as he handed the paper to the teacher he said: “Here, you can keep the “F” and I will keep my dream!”

In the Bible, we see that the Pharisees were dream stealers. We see an example of this in our reading this morning, Matthew 12:1-8. Christ’s disciples, new to the faith, were excited about following Jesus. They were filled with a new awe and wonder to life and faith. One day they were hungry, and they began to pick food from the field to eat. Suddenly they are reprimanded by the Pharisees in verse 2: “When the Pharisees saw this, they said to him, ‘Look! Your disciples are doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath.’” In essence, they were saying that religion is about rules and regulations, and that they were acting irresponsibly. THEY WERE BEING DREAM STEALERS.

Jesus puts it into perspective when He answers them in verse 8: “If you had known what these words mean, 'I desire mercy, not sacrifice,' you would not have condemned the innocent. ⁸ For the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.” In essence, Jesus is saying, “You can have your rules. I’ll keep giving people their dream of an adventurous faith.” CHRIST IS THE DREAM GIVER who wants us to listen to His dream for us, so we can run like children in the fields of His grace.

The challenge is to overcome the obstacles in the field that deafen us to God’s dreams for us, and try to keep us from an adventurous faith.

III. The Obstacle of Predictability- (Luke 12:1-5; Romans 1:20)

The third obstacle is that of predictability. In 1964, a French Christian

named Jacques Ellul predicted that the emergence of technology would alter the nature of life as we know it, just as the Industrial Revolution did. He looked at it this way: first there was man and nature, then there was man and machine, and then there was just machine. He believed that this new technology would lead us to the place where the machine would define humans. Human beings would be franchised, first by exterior cloning, and then by genetic cloning.

In many ways, he was right. Even genetic cloning is upon us. But cultural cloning is upon us, and it is harmful to our souls. Cultural cloning levels human personality and deifies predictability. Diversity begins to be less important, and no longer recognized as a strength in the culture. Sameness becomes the bottom line.

Predictability and faith cannot coexist. What characterized Jesus (and His disciples) was unpredictability. The things Jesus said and the things Jesus did was always surprising those around Him. He ate with sinners, hung around tax collectors, prostitutes, and lepers, and healed people on the Sabbath. In fact, when Jesus was present, everyone was uncomfortable because they didn’t know what to expect. Example- We read in Luke 12:1-5, “Meanwhile, when a crowd of many thousands had gathered, so that they were trampling on one another, Jesus began to speak first to his disciples, saying: ‘Be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy. ²There is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed, or hidden that will not be made known. ³What you have said in the dark will be heard in the daylight, and what you have whispered in the ear in the inner rooms will be proclaimed from the roofs. ⁴I tell you, my friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body and after that can do no more. ⁵But I will show you whom you should fear: Fear him who, after the killing of the body, has power to throw you into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him.’” Imagine being in the crowd, and Jesus starts to talk against the Pharisees. Wouldn’t that make you nervous? And then Jesus starts to talk about hell. Jesus had everyone on the edge of their seat.

If you take surprise out of faith, all you have left is dry, dead religion. And that is what Jesus came to change. Jesus came to bring back the mystery of being in a relationship with God. Jesus came to bring back the wonder of living a life guided by God. Jesus came to do away with the dreariness of rules without meaning, and to bring back the excitement of knowing and worshipping God. Jesus came to break off the aspect of sameness, and give us the freedom to experience God in so many ways. The apostle Paul says this in Romans 1:20, “For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.” God is to be seen and experienced in all of His creation, including us His people!

IV. Recapturing our Dangerous Wonder- (Mark 4:35-41)

So, if we have lost the gleam in our eye, how do we get it back? We get it

back by deepening our relationship with God, through Jesus. When we stand

in the presence of God, we should stand there in awe. Many of you know the

song “I Could Only Imagine,” by Mercy Me; a song which talks about imagining

our reaction when we get to see God face to face. It goes like this:

“I could only imagine, What it would be like, When I walk by your side.

I could only imagine, What my eyes will see, When your face is before me.

I could only imagine.” *Chorus* “Surrounded by your glory, What will my heart fear,

Will I dance for you Jesus, Or in awe of You be still.

Will I stand in Your presence, To my knees will I fall, Will I sing hallelujah?

Will I be able to speak at all? I could only imagine; I could only imagine.”

Dangerous wonder is possible for us. You have to give yourself the okay to experience terror, awe, risk, amazement, fear, adventure, exhilaration, laughter, passion, when it comes to your relationship with God and this life He has given you.

Let me give you an example: Mark 4:35-41, “That day when evening came, he said to his disciples, “Let us go over to the other side.’ ³⁶Leaving the crowd behind, they took him along, just as he was, in the boat. There were also other boats with him. ³⁷A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped. ³⁸Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him, ‘Teacher, don't you care if we drown?’ ³⁹He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, ‘Quiet! Be still!’ Then the wind died down and it was completely calm. ⁴⁰He said to his disciples, ‘Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?’ ⁴¹They were terrified and asked each other, ‘Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!’” The Jesus of the Bible, the Jesus of reality, was a long way from dull. Jesus exhibited dangerous wonder. He was dangerous to the power structure, dangerous to the people who followed Him. He caused great awe and wonder in those around Him. He should cause great awe and wonder in you and me as well.

Conclusion: Dangerous wonder is a place where both children AND grownups can find God. It is a place devoid of dull people and dream stealers. It is a place that has to be discovered again; a place of risky curiosity, wild abandon, daring playfulness, quiet listening, happy terror, and naïve grace. It is a place where we discover again our uniqueness and creativity. It is a place where we dare to imagine what God might imagine; a dream that seems too unrealistic.

In a day when most of us are tired, worn-out, thirsty, and starving for life and joy and peace, maybe it is time to become child-like again. Maybe it’s time to play in the snow again. Maybe it is time to live in the dangerous wonder of faith. I pray that today’s sermon has wet your appetite for what we will be talking about over the next few weeks, so that we can wake ourselves up to the wonderful life and faith that God wants us to experience, this day and every day. Amen.