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Sunday,
September 28, 2003
Sermon: "Casting Out Demons in the Name of Jesus"
Scripture: Mark 9:38-50
Reverend Larry Gerber
Early
investigations of the Space Shuttle Columbia disaster focused on the possibility
that the spacecraft was struck by a piece of orbital junk. We, too, have to
be concerned about the deadly debris we leave behind, and do whatever we can
to reduce our personal cloud of danger.
It's no bigger than a single grain of sand. But it packs as much energy as a
bowling ball traveling 60 miles per hour. Space junk. Floating around the earth
is a vast cloud of garbage, including bits of metal and computer chips from
hundreds of exploded rocket boosters and satellites. The Washington Post calls
it "the potentially deadly detritus of man's past forays into space,"
and there has always been a chance that the space shuttle or its crew would
be lost to a strike by orbital garbage. Ever since space debris has accumulated,
NASA has worried about it, and has included the danger in its calculations.
In the case of Columbia, NASA's Final Readiness Review declared there was 1
chance in 370 that either the crew or the orbiter would be lost because of an
impact by space junk — a figure well within NASA's standard safety limits.
I am not sure that I would be ready to accept those odds if I were to ride into
space. After all, millions of people buy lottery tickets when the chance of
winning is 1 in 5 million. Just think how excited we would get if the lottery
offered a chance in 370. The sales would soar. Chances of being killed by space
debris is acceptable at 1 in 370?? What makes this garbage so dangerous is the
space shuttle's incredible speed in orbit — an average of 17,000 miles
per hour. At that speed, a strike by debris the size of a pea is comparable
to being struck on Earth by a 600-pound safe traveling 60 miles per hour. That's
a cataclysmic, cosmic collision. Fortunately, NASA has done whatever it can
to minimize the risk of a debris strike in orbit, including turning the shuttle
around so that the crew compartment is protected by the tail. So, what kind
of "space junk" do we leave behind as we move through our daily activities?
What is the "potentially deadly detritus" of our everyday words and
deeds? This is what Jesus is driving home in this disturbing discussion with
his disciples. It's a review of discipleship, an admonition about the attitudes
and actions that can do damage to themselves and others. As the lesson begins,
the disciple John peevishly reports that an outsider has been using the name
of Jesus without permission. "Teacher," proclaims John, "we saw
someone casting out demons in your name, and we tried to stop him, because he
was not following us" (Mark 9:38). You can imagine John holding up his
hand in front of Jesus, expecting a high-five. But Jesus shakes his head in
disagreement. "Do not stop him," he orders; "for no one who does
a deed of power in my name will be able soon afterward to speak evil of me.
Whoever is not against us is for us" (vv. 39-40). The disciples are shocked
by this. After all, they are the chosen few, the ultimate insiders, the faithful
followers, the top 12, the best and the brightest, the Lord's own Dream Team.
They have made a significant sacrifice to hit the road and follow him, and now
Jesus is saying, "Whoever is not against us is for us"? Exclusivity.
It will derail discipleship and dilute the meaning of the kingdom every time.
John and the others see themselves as the only chosen ones, gatekeepers of doctrinal
purity, guardians of faith and practice, protectors of theology and ethics.
Our way or the highway. For example: Some Christians are suspicious of the rock
singer Bono, as he pleads with people to become aware of the devastation of
AIDS in Africa. They criticize him by saying that he fails to worship God regularly
within the community of the church ... that he measures the church's mission
in mostly geopolitical terms ... that he fails to show respect for the culture
of the evangelical church. He's not a church insider, they point out, so he
really shouldn't be judging the church.
But What Would Jesus Say? "Whoever is not against us is for us." We
should never be more exclusive than Jesus himself.
We all know that Patrick Henry was credited with the words: Give me liberty,
or give me death, but do you know the rest of the story? In context, Patrick
Henry said: An appeal to arms and the God of hosts is all that is left us. But
we shall not fight our battle alone. There is a just God that presides over
the destinies of nations. The battle, sir, is not to the strong alone. Is life
sod ear of peace so sweet as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery?
Forbid it almighty God. I know not what course others may take, but as for me,
give me liberty, or give me death.
Did you know that 52 of the 55 signers of the Declaration of Independence were
orthodox, deeply committed Christians, and that the other 3 all believed in
the Bible as the divine truth, the God of scripture, and His personal intervention?
In 1782,
the United States Congress voted this resolution: "The Congress of the
United States recommends and approves the Holy Bible for use in all schools.
And: Of the first 108 universities founded in America, 106 were distinctly Christian,
including Harvard University, chartered in 1636. In the original Harvard Handbook,
rule #1 was that students seeking entrance must know Latin and Greek so that
they could study the scriptures: "Let every student be plainly instructed
and earnestly pressed to consider well, the main end of his life and studies
is, to know God and Jesus Christ, which is eternal life, John 17:3; and therefore
to lay Jesus Christ as the only foundation for our children to follow the moral
principles of the Ten Commandments.
Today, we are asking God to bless America. But, how can God bless a Nation that
has departed so far from Him? Prior to September 11, 2001, God was not welcome
in America. We have developed into a country of political correctness; into
a country that recognizes persons individual rights; and a country that has
become insensitive to emotional and spiritual needs of individuals. A country
of non-commitment, and a country of abandonment of fundamental principles.
Insensitivity
— especially insensitivity to the emotional and spiritual needs of others.
In 1965, during the first American space walk, the Gemini 4 astronaut Edward
White lost a glove. For a month, the glove stayed in orbit, flying with a speed
of thousands of miles per hour. Edward White's misplaced glove became the most
dangerous garment in history. While most of us don't tend to lose gloves in
space, we do drop pieces of dangerous debris that can become a stumbling block
to others. Even in the church setting, we become stumbling blocks to our spiritual
needs. We focus on things like: I don't like the music in church, we're critical
of the way so-and-so is raising her kids, we complain about it being too hot
or too cold, too bright, or too dark, we're more likely to criticize than affirm.
Every insensitive word out of our mouths is a flying piece of verbal debris
that discourages and undermines others. Other issues. Exclusivity and insensitivity
are bad enough. But there's more. The apostle Paul addresses the problem frequently
in his letters. He calls it impurity, lust, greed, idolatry, anger, malice,
slander, filthy language. All of this stuff not only causes our own spiritual
life to implode, but can seriously damage those around us. Perhaps you're thinking:
I'm not in that category! Perhaps not. But it doesn't take much to inflict damage.
And Jesus has harsh words for those of us who do: "It would be better for
him to be thrown into the sea with a large millstone tied around his neck"
(9:43 NIV). Jesus says this in the context of the excuses we offer when we've
been throwing junk around. We excuse ourselves, saying that "It wasn't
really me, it was my hand that wronged someone." Or we say, "It wasn't
really me, it was my feet that took me places I should not have gone."
Or we say, "It wasn't really me, it was my eye that saw things it should
not have seen." Jesus uses our own cockamamie blame-shifting to damn us.
"If," he says, "on the basis of your own testimony your hand,
foot or eye is the true cause of the evil you do, then it would be better to
sever your hand, cut off your foot, poke out the offending eye — than to
spend an eternity in hell." Of course, Jesus knows this is stupid. A study
of the parallel passage in Matthew makes this clear. It is not our body parts
that lead us to sin, but a defective spiritual center — our hearts —
that is at the core of things. We don't need a series of amputations, we need
a heart transplant, and only then can we live clean lives, free of the debris
and junk that continually harms ourselves and those around us. As we fly through
each day, at home or at work or at school, traveling at speeds that often threaten
to spin us out of control, let's be careful about what we spew into the space
around us. Let's try to be inclusive of others, as Jesus was, and sensitive
to the emotional and spiritual needs of the people around us.
We are to follow our Master. We are to do things in the name of Jesus. Cast
out demons,etc. Most importantly, we are to stay focused on the message of love
and concern. We are to restrain from being judgemental, and we are to have a
heart of compassion and outreach, in the name of Jesus.
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Source: Smith, R. Jeffrey. "Talk of tile problem was brief: Outside review
of situation wasn't requested,"
Let me know what you think. The church Email is: SLUMC@att.net, Phone: 480.895.8766