“Deception of Meaningless” City Church Chicago | October 25th, 12:00PM Service Pastor Marcus Mecum
Introduction: Too many times in life we allow individual experiences to define the sum of all experiences. Pastor Mecum gives the example of a moviegoer’s experience. If we view a film, and afterward we find the film is simply a boring movie, we do not take the stance that all films are boring movies. Instead, we compartmentalize that experience and we move on with optimism that better films exist. Key Scriptures: And the LORD said to Gideon, “The people who are with you are too many for Me to give the Midianites into their hands, lest Israel claim glory for itself against Me, saying, ‘My own hand has saved me.’ Now therefore, proclaim in the hearing of the people, saying, ‘Whoever is fearful and afraid, let him turn and depart at once from Mount Gilead.’ ” And twenty-two thousand of the people returned, and ten thousand remained. – Judges 7:2-3 NKJV Are they Hebrews? So am I. Are they Israelites? So am I. Are they the seed of Abraham? So am I. Are they ministers of Christ?—I speak as a fool—I am more: in labors more abundant, in stripes above measure, in prisons more frequently, in deaths often. From the Jews five times I received forty stripes minus one. Three times I
was beaten with rods; once I was stoned; three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I have been in the deep; journeys often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils of my own countrymen, in perils of the Gentiles, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren; in weariness and toil, in sleeplessness often, in hunger and thirst, in fasting often, in cold and nakedness— besides the other things, what comes upon me daily: my deep concern for all the churches. II Corinthians 11:22-28 NKJV Main Texts: In Judges 7:2-3, God is talking to Gideon about his army. God is letting Gideon know that there are too many soldiers in his army and that he must pare down the number to the most essential warriors. Upon instruction from God, Gideon calls out to his army that anyone that is afraid can leave at once. In that instant, ten-thousand soldiers (half of the army) turned at went home. As we read further, through a test from God, we find that the final number of soldiers was three hundred men. God promised that by the three hundred men that remained, they would be victorious over the Midianites. In the 11th chapter of Corinthians, Paul speaks of what he has encountered on the road to spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Paul recounts being beaten with rods, stoned on three occasions, shipwrecked three times, in
the danger of robbers and thieves, hungry, thirsty, and without clothing, among many other atrocities. However Paul explains that through all of that and more, at the end of the day his deepest concern is for all of the churches. A life of meaninglessness: It appears that the dream life is one of comfort. Too often we set our sights on the commonly attainable goals; owning a nice home, driving a nice car, having the finances to live a cozy life, etc. Although there is nothing wrong with having a desire for these things, as Christians we should set our goals much higher. We cannot set the bar so low that we fall into a position of complacency. This type of comfort is often times based on fear. The Enemy uses fear to force us into a boring, mundane, meaningless life that is cloaked in “safety.� Pastor Mecum explains that the only safety is living a life of bold compassion, energy, and fire! In addition to that, life is about relationships. We should seek to build relationships and keep the company of those that fear not. Conflict is what binds meaningful relationships together. We forge stronger bonds when we are in the trenches of life with likeminded warriors! Embracing the difficulty of life is the true recipe to living with purpose. We must refuse to be a bundle of separate individuals, and more a collective of faithful believers that live absent of fear. Two Daily Questions for Christians
Pastor Mecum encourages all Christians to ask themselves the following questions daily: 1. How difficult is what I’m trying to attain? • The more difficult the journey, the better/greater the reward 2. Are the sacrifices that I’m making for myself? • When we make sacrifices to achieve a goal, it should be to achieve a greater good than just our own satisfaction Conclusion: We are built to be victorious. Victory comes with overcoming insurmountable odds. Isolating ourselves from conflict is having a lack of faith in God’s ability to deliver us through adversity. We have to take ownership of life and all of the perils that come with it. A mindset of comfort and complacency is the pathway to a meaningless existence. Life is all about relationships. We should connect with those that have a strong, fearless attitude. Although life is challenging and difficult, as Christians we can overcome together. The old adage says, “Beauty for ashes,” not “Beauty for beauty.” Christianity is not defined by having an easy life. Instead, the life of a Christian is designed by sacrifices and calculated risk.
A Declaration for living a meaningful life: “I will not fall prey to the easy, comfortable, resistance-free way of living life.�