CRCF””2/21/10
The Kudzu Conspiracy:
The Growth of God”™s Kingdom
in the Empires of Men
Introduction””
Excerpts from “That Rock Won”™t Roll”, from Ronnie”™s blog:
December 3, 2009 by Ronnie McBrayer
“Have you ever heard of a fellow named Sisyphus? I know. His name sounds like a communicable disease or something like that. But in Greek mythology, Sisyphus was a great king and founder of the ancient city of Corinth. In his day he was an entrepreneur of Trump-like proportions. He presided over his territorial and commercial empire with amazing skill. And like any Wall Street tycoon or mega-corporate CEO, he was cagey and innovative, wealthy and creative. His tactics, however, more resembled those of Tony Soprano than Jack Welch. Sisyphus was a deceptive, murderous, untrustworthy fellow. This was not a man with whom you conducted business with only a handshake. One had better come to the table ready for a fight, or at least protection against getting whacked.
If you read the mythologies about Sisyphus you find him so irritating to the gods that they banished him to hell on at least two or three occasions, depending upon who you read. But he was such a wily character he could even negotiate an escape from the underworld ”“ twice. Nevertheless, his trickery caught up with him as such things always seem to do. For his many treacherous crimes he was condemned to an eternity of frustratingly hard labor. His endless assignment was to roll a huge boulder to the top of a hill, taking all of his strength to do so. Then, every time Sisyphus arrived with his rock at the top of the hill, the thing would roll back down to the bottom. Sisyphus would be forced to begin the process all over again. According to the Greeks, he”™s still struggling with that stone today.
In issues of faith many of us lead a Sisyphean existence. We are always pushing that rock up the hill. Proof of our effort is betrayed by words like: “I”™ve got to do better. I”™ve got to try harder. I need to give more. I need to pray longer. I”™m not good enough. I have to read more Bible verses.” Faith becomes a terribly heavy burden to push up the hill. Like Sisyphus eternally pushing his rock, or a hamster on a never ending exercise wheel, we turn liberating grace into a repressive pseudo-holiness that is nothing short of a deathtrap.
Granted, faith and spirituality are not passive. A healthy faith and a vibrant spirituality do not develop spontaneously without some level of decision or intentionality. We have to give these our attention. But too many of us have an overly-inflated sense of personal responsibility. We think that our spiritual journey and growth depends upon all that we can do.”
This morning I want you to see that resting in Jesus is the vital link that brings the growth of God”™s kingdom into your life.
We”™re in a series entitled The Kudzu Conspiracy. Thus far, we”™ve seen from Jesus”™ teaching about the kingdom that:
Part 1: God”™s kingdom grows like kudzu””subtly, yet wildly, taking over people”™s hearts with Jesus”™ love.
Part 2: Enemy-love is the fertilizer for The Kudzu Conspiracy.
Part 3: Jesus is the Root of The Kudzu Conspiracy and He builds His Kingdom without dependence on earthly powers.
Part 4: Resting in Jesus is the vital link that brings the growth of God”™s kingdom into your life.
Does that sound a little backwards to you? Rest in order to grow the kingdom? Let”™s listen to what Jesus said.
Matthew 11:28-30 (NLT)
28 Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.”
Resting in Jesus is the vital link that brings the growth of God”™s kingdom into your life.
Matthew 11:28-30 (The Message)
28-30″Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me””watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.”
Resting in Jesus is the vital link that brings the growth of God”™s kingdom into your life.
Claiborne/Haw: “Burdens are the specialty of religious elites and power mongers.” (Jesus for President, 112)
You can bank on this””if you”™re looking for rest anywhere but in a relationship with Jesus Christ, you only will find yourself more exhausted and burdened down.
Only the grace of God””as, Peterson says it, “the unforced rhythms of grace”””can give rest to your soul!
John Piper:
“Money beckons us to rest in what it can buy. Sex beckons us to rest in the way it can make us feel. Power and recognition beckon us to rest in what they can give. Health and food and athletics and family and friends and hobbies and education and looks and accomplishments all beckon us to rest in what they offer. But Jesus says, “Come to me and find rest for your souls.” Other shelters offer rest. Other yokes seem easy. Other burdens feel light. They are all an illusion. In the end, they enslave and destroy. Only Jesus gives deep and lasting rest and joy. Only Jesus supports the burdens he gives. Only Jesus uses a yoke to lift his team of oxen.”
Resting in Jesus is the vital link that brings the growth of God”™s kingdom into your life.
Isaiah 64:4 (New International Version)
4 Since ancient times no one has heard,
no ear has perceived,
no eye has seen any God besides you,
who acts on behalf of those who wait for him.
Ronnie McBrayer: Many of us live ”“ or exist rather; we haven”™t learned to live ”“ with the old Protestant work ethic hanging around our necks like a yoke. Boiled down to bumper sticker mantra we think: “If it”™s going to be, then it”™s up to me.” That”™s nothing short of sacrilege, even if it sounds resolute and brave.
Resting in Jesus is the vital link that brings the growth of God”™s kingdom into your life.
“The rest that Jesus promises is love, healing, and peace with God, not the end of all labor. A relationship with God changes meaningless, wearisome toil into spiritual productivity and purpose. In what sense was Jesus”™ yoke easy? . . . it”™s a shared yoke, with weight falling on bigger shoulders than yours.” (NIV Study Bible, 1556).
Claiborne/Hay: “Jesus is ready to set us free from the heavy yoke of an oppressive way of life. Plenty of wealthy Christians are suffering from the weight of the American dream, heavily burdened by the lifeless toil and consumption we embrace. This is the yoke from which we are being set free . . . The new yoke isn”™t easy. (It”™s a cross, for heaven”™s sake.) But we carry it together, and it is good and leads us to rest, especially for the weariest travelers.” (113)
Resting in Jesus is the vital link that brings the growth of God”™s kingdom into your life.
John 15:1-5 (NLT)
“I am the true grapevine, and my Father is the gardener. 2 He cuts off every branch of mine that doesn”™t produce fruit, and he prunes the branches that do bear fruit so they will produce even more. 3 You have already been pruned and purified by the message I have given you. 4 Remain in me, and I will remain in you. For a branch cannot produce fruit if it is severed from the vine, and you cannot be fruitful unless you remain in me. 5 “Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing.
Resting in Jesus is the vital link that brings the growth of God”™s kingdom into your life.
John 15:8-17 (NLT)
8 When you produce much fruit, you are my true disciples. This brings great glory to my Father.
9 “I have loved you even as the Father has loved me. Remain in my love. 10 When you obey my commandments, you remain in my love, just as I obey my Father”™s commandments and remain in his love. 11 I have told you these things so that you will be filled with my joy. Yes, your joy will overflow! 12 This is my commandment: Love each other in the same way I have loved you. 13 There is no greater love than to lay down one”™s life for one”™s friends. 14 You are my friends if you do what I command. 15 I no longer call you slaves, because a master doesn”™t confide in his slaves. Now you are my friends, since I have told you everything the Father told me. 16 You didn”™t choose me. I chose you. I appointed you to go and produce lasting fruit, so that the Father will give you whatever you ask for, using my name. 17 This is my command: Love each other.
So how do we make all of this practical? What does this look like in our life? If our lives aren”™t changed by the truth, then we”™ve just wasted an hour together.
We must learn to depend on Jesus”™ love for our relationship with God and on Jesus”™ power for the life He”™s called us to live.
We have to remind ourselves everyday that God doesn”™t want us to do more for Him so that He”™ll like us more, but rather, He wants us to depend on what Jesus has already done, knowing that Jesus”™ loving sacrifice on the Cross makes us fully accepted and totally and continually loved by our Father.
And, we have to remind ourselves that the life we”™re called to live was never intended to be lived in our own strength! Jesus”™ grace is the power, that not only give us forgiveness of sin and righteousness before God, but His grace is the power that enables us to love God by loving others the way He”™s loved us!
Conclusion””You know, this whole Kudzu Conspiracy thing is really simple.
God”™s kingdom grows like kudzu””subtly, yet wildly, taking over people”™s hearts with Jesus”™ love.
Enemy-love is the fertilizer for The Kudzu Conspiracy.
Jesus is the Root of The Kudzu Conspiracy and He builds His Kingdom without dependence on earthly powers.
And yet, for all of its simplicity, we hinder the growth of God”™s Kingdom by our complicating, stifling, enslaving pursuits of self-righteousness, and proud independence.
Resting in Jesus is the vital link that brings the growth of God”™s kingdom into your life.
Because only by resting in Jesus can we love others””each other and even our enemies””which is the Divine power that will change our world!
Celebration of the Lord”™s Supper
Today, this meal is a celebration of our vital connection with Jesus, given by His grace, secured by His perfect life and sacrificial death on the Cross and His powerful victory in the Resurrection. It is a celebration of the fact that God”™s kingdom will grow in and through us in our world, if we”™ll simply rest in Jesus! God”™s Kudzu Conspiracy will triumph!