Urban Renewal

Transcript

It is a great honor and privilege for me to be the newest member of the pastoral staff of Tenth Presbyterian Church. I have felt like I was back in my early 30’s over the last few weeks, going through the transfer of my credentials and the examinations that followed that. You'll be happy to know I did pass, and this is a very exciting time for me, and we would trust for Tenth Church as well.

There’s a very interesting scene at the beginning of the movie, Grand Canyon. There is a high-powered lawyer who is driving with his Mercedes through the city in a rush, and he gets in the middle of a traffic jam. He’s not the kind of guy who is going to wait in a traffic jam, so he wheels his way out of the traffic jam, looking for a faster route, probably pre-GPS days, and finds himself in a very, very bad neighborhood. Particularly, as often is the case with the way the drama of these movies is written, his car breaks down.

And, he finds himself surrounded by a group of ‘street toughs’ as the movie would call them. And he manages to call on his cell phone…the tow truck man that he so desperately needs. And that guy comes; he's a gentle man, and he’s upset by the way this man is being intimidated by the street gang. And he introduces them to a little bit of metaphysics theology. He looks around and says, “Everything in this scene is not the way it's supposed to be. I'm not supposed to have to ask you guys permission to do my job, and this man is not supposed to have to wait with his car in fear that you will rip him off. This is not the way things were meant to be.” What an amazing summary of the world that you and I live in.

We live in a world where you could stand on any corner, in any situation, in any relationship, in any circumstance and somehow, some way, say, “This is not the way it was meant to be.” We live in a broken world, and you see that brokenness in individual’s lives; you see that brokenness in families; you see that brokenness in government; you see that brokenness in business; you see that brokenness in entertainment; you see that brokenness in art and culture.

You have to be spiritually blind not to see the overwhelming brokenness that’s all the way around us. There's a biblical word for the wholeness and beauty of the way God created this world. God created a world of amazing beauty, of amazing unity, of amazing harmony, of amazing peace where everything was right as it should be. There's a wonderful, biblical word for that; the word is ‘Shalom.’ Sadly, Shalom has been shattered, and we live amongst the shards of shattered Shalom. But there's a day, there is a day when Shalom is going to be restored once again.

I'd like you to turn, again, in your Bibles to Revelation 21:

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, ‘Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.’ And he who was seated on the throne said, ‘Behold, I am making all things new.’ Also, he said, ‘Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.’ And he said to me, ‘It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give from the spring of the water of life without payment. The one who conquers will have this heritage, and I will be his God and he will be my son.’

What a gorgeous picture of renewal, what a gorgeous picture of restoration. Imagine, if you would, just for a moment with me, let your mind loose for just a moment, imagine actually living in a place where you can look everywhere you would want to look, and there is no more, any reason for shedding even one tear. Imagine! That's Shalom.

Now, here's what I’d like to say to you this morning, “If you're God's child, Shalom is your future address. Someday, you’re going to live in Shalom; someday you'll experience Shalom; someday you'll bask in the beauty of Shalom, and you will never cry again.” Praise God! But you’ve got to notice you're not living in Shalom right now. If that's a surprise to you, you're seriously comatose.

Now maybe you’re sitting there thinking, “Well, Paul, I get what you’ve been saying, and this is very encouraging, but what in the world does this have to do with urban renewal?” Well, maybe the way to answer that question is to do something that is a little bit dangerous to do when you're the newest member on staff, in the middle of your first sermon. I'm about to admit a personal weakness. I love to eavesdrop when I’m in public because I think you learn so much. I don't stand straight in lines; I always stand sideways because I can listen to two conversations at once, and I learn so much about human culture, standing sideways and listening.

I want to invite you to the ultimate in eavesdropping this morning; I want you to come with me and to eavesdrop on eternity. See, this passage that we've read is not just to give you hope; this passage that we've read is actually meant to structure the lifestyle that you would live as you live with this hope in view. This is not just to make you feel good about your future. This is to teach you how to live as you're waiting for your future

Now, I'm a man who loves Philadelphia. If you know me well, you know I've adopted this city. This is my city, and I have just celebrated with many of you the renewal of the city of Philadelphia. It's been great to see; it’s been great to see that this city is a city on the rise. I was so proud as I was traveling, to pick up Traveler Magazine, and see a ninepage article on Philadelphia. They named Philadelphia, “America's Next Great City,” written up in the New York Times, written up in USA Today. We see the structures and the names, the Murano, and the Kimmel Center, and the Symphony House, and Buddakan, and The Ruze, and Zara, and the list goes on. This is a city on the rise; this is a city in the midst of a wonderful physical renewal.

But you need to understand, with all of that wonderful renewal, that we should participate in, and we should celebrate, there is a deeper and fuller renewal that this city still needs. This city still is in that state where we would say, “It's not the way it's supposed to be. There still is evidence of brokenness all around us.” And so, here's the connection: God calls us to live where He has placed us, a gospel of renewal. God has chosen you to be part of the great renewal that is His zeal, that great renewal that would explode into this final renewal, the new Jerusalem, Shalom.

So, I want to look with you today, at what living that Gospel of renewal actually looks like. Look, if you would, at verse five of Revelation 21: “And he who was seated on the throne said, ‘Behold, I am making all things new.’”

God calls us to live a comprehensive Gospel of renewal, our seal, our engagement, our work must be as wide as the damage that sin has done. If you were to ask the question, “What is it that sin has damaged?” you would have to say, ”Everything, everything somehow, some way has been twisted or distorted or bent or turned by the ravages of sin.” You see it everywhere you look; you see it in government; you see it in the brokenness of the family, the family meant to be a place of wonderful help and healing, and growth that can become one of the most hurtful places on earth.

You see it in entertainment; you see it in art and culture; you see it in business. And so, we cannot be satisfied with being a sort of secret order of the saints, hiding out with one another as we sing hymns, and we wait for the Second Coming. We should be the most involved, the most creative, the most engaged community on earth because we recognize the call to the renewal of it all. And we will not relent because our Lord doesn't relent. He will not be satisfied until it's all brand new. Praise Him! That should get you up in the morning.

But it’s not just a comprehensive Gospel; it's a Gospel of presence. Follow these words with me in verse three: “And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, ‘Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God.’”

I was thinking as I was preparing to talk about this verse, “Am I capable of verbally capturing the stunning beauty of what this verse actually says?” with all of the brokenness that I've talked to you about this morning, God knew how deep and pervasive that brokenness is. He knows how enslaving it is. He knows how powerful it is, and God knew that the only solution for that brokenness was not just a theology and not just a set of principles. Brothers and sisters, hear the gospel. If all we needed was a little bit of theology and a few rules, Jesus would've never had to come. We don't offer people a system of redemption. We offer people a Redeemer. God understood the solution to the brokenness was Himself because what was needed, demanded, a Redeemer. Brothers and sisters, here it is. Do you know what we need to be rescued from? This will humble you. Us! And that's why a Redeemer is needed.

Now, what does this have to do with your living? Here it is. God has chosen you to be His ambassador. Whatever you're doing, wherever you’re doing it, there's always a higher agenda: in your place of work, in your neighborhood, in your home, with your circle of friends, with your extended family, in business, in entertainment, in times of culture, in the government, in all of those places where we live and work every day. What are we called to do? We are called to incarnate the presence of the One who comes and lives with His people. What's the hope of humanity? You can say it in one word, “Immanuel.”

Hear this. You have been chosen, if you’re God’s child, to be His ambassador. Here's what that means: You’re the tone of His voice; you’re the look on His face; you’re the touch of His hand, you’re His mercy; you’re His compassion; you’re His grace; you’re His faithfulness; you’re His love. God incarnates Himself by people who move out and reflect His character. That's our calling, to move out and incarnate His presence.

But, it’s not just a Gospel presence; it's a Gospel of compassion. Verse four: “He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.” What an amazing definition of the mercy and the compassion of the Lord. Here it is. He will not relent until suffering is no more. That's His compassion.

What does this mean for my living? It means that I should care as my Lord cares about the human condition. I should care about suffering of every kind. I should care about physical suffering. I should care about emotional suffering. I should care about community brokenness. I should care as I see any instance of suffering anywhere, and I should want to be involved. I should have a heart that runs out, that is not satisfied as long as people are in those conditions.

Brothers and sisters, again, we should be the most compassionate community on earth. We should be known for our mercy; we should be known for our tenderness; we should be known for our love. We ought to be on the front lines of any aspect of suffering where ever it exists because our Lord is the Lord of compassion, and He will not sit down until there is no more suffering anywhere.

Not only a Gospel of compassion, but a Gospel of humility. Look with me at verse six: “And he said to me, ‘It is done! I am the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give from the spring of the water of life without payment.’” What is the epicenter of the hope of Christianity? The epicenter of the hope of Christianity is this awesome message that we have been given a gift, a gift that we could've never earned, a gift that we could’ve never deserved, the gift of eternal forgiveness and eternal life, eternal acceptance into the family of God. You could not have earned it. You could not have achieved it. You could not have merited it. It is the gift of grace.

Now, what does that mean? That means we ought to be marked by our humility. Paul says, “If you're not justified by the keeping of the law, then where is the boasting?” Now, I want to challenge you for a moment, and this is not a judgment of anyone in this room, but I'm afraid that the Christian community has not always been known for its humility. It’s not always been known for its grace. I think it is very easy for us to slip into being a rather self-righteous and condemning presence in the culture, and that selfrighteousness and that ugly condemnation, that feeling that somehow I'm better, doesn't bespeak the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. It's a contradiction of what we say we believe, and I am not talking about calling wrong right, but the way you deal with wrong is incredibly important.

I should stand next to the most broken and lost and rebellious sinner and look at him with eyes of compassion and eyes of love and eyes of grace because I know, but for the grace of God, I am much more like him than I am unlike him. And, I can’t look down on him. I would have to look down on myself as well; I’m just like him. And so, we are known for our humility; we’re known for being a community where grace can be found, and we don't ask the law to do what only grace can accomplish.

But not only a gospel of humility, a gospel of courage. Look at verse seven: “The one who conquers will have this heritage, and I will be his God and he will be my son.” If there was ever a group of people who, in the face of opposition, had a reason to continue, it’s Christians, because we know where the story is going. We have gotten to read the last chapter first. And we also know that the end of the story is absolutely guaranteed; it’s sure. And so, we will not relent in the face of misunderstanding. We will not relent in the face of difficulty. We will not relent in the face of trial; we will not abandon this city because this city is a difficult place to minister in. We will not move to safer times because that's easier.

No! We’ll stand and say, “As long as we can look around and say, ‘This is not the way it was supposed to be,’ we will stand, encourage, not because we trust ourselves, but because we understand the meek will inherit the earth.” And like Christ, when He was threatened, He uttered no threats, but He committed Himself to His heavenly Father who judges all things justly. We will again and again commit ourselves to our heavenly Father, and we will step forward in faith and courage until there is no more need for the work of renewal to be done. What have I just described? I have just described the lifestyle to which you’ve been called. You have been called to a life; you have not been called to a life of a sort of Gospel passivity where you're in the kingdom, and you're happy to wait until the final kingdom comes. You have been called to be an instrument in the hands of the Redeemer, an instrument of renewal. And you are called to do that just where you live.

Now, I don't know if you realize this or not, I hope you do, but your life hasn't worked according to your plan. Last week didn’t work according to your plan. If I could be so bold as to say this, “From the look at some of us here, today didn't work according to our plan.” And with all of the decisions you've made, you couldn’t have written your own story. You couldn’t have written yourself ahead of time to this point where you now are; God has written you there. God has been carefully in control of that process because He loves you, and He loves the work of His kingdom, and He has placed you just where He wants you, and this God never gets a wrong address. And He means for you to live for a bigger agenda than the small agenda that so often captures us as we live every day. It's so easy to have our living defined by the frenetic pursuit of the values of Western culture and try to add a little bit of ministry into the available slots of an already too busy schedule. That's not a Gospel lifestyle, and it happens to all of us.

I didn’t mention this in the earlier service because I was trying to stay within my allotted time, but this service, I don't care. Last weekend, I was in Toronto. Now, I don't know if you know this, but since 9/11, going to Canada is as arduous as going to India. You go through all the difficult things to cross the border as you would with any foreign country, and I was rushing to get to my plane, and I inadvertently left my cell phone in the rental car.

My cell phone is also a PDA. It is my brain, and I wanted to rush back across the border. I wanted to get that phone, and they wouldn’t let me go back across the border. And I made contact with the rental company, and they assured me, “No, no, no!” nothing had been left in that car. I immediately thanked the Lord for His sovereignty. All of a sudden, this is what happens, my world shrunk to the size of that cell phone. I'm walking through that concourse; I can't see anything; I can't think anything but my cell phone is gone, gone, gone, gone, gone, gone, gone, gone, gone, gone, gone. All of a sudden, my world has shrunk to the size of this little moment.

Brothers and sisters, that’s our problem, it’s so easy for us to shrink our world down to something dramatically smaller than we've actually been called to live in. And hear this. Your Lord, in all of His love and grace, didn’t offer you that grace to make your kingdom work. He offered you that grace to invite you to a better kingdom.

Now, I would ask you, “What set of values determines your schedule? What set of values determines how you spend your time? What set of values determines how you spend your money? What set of values determines how you conduct yourself in friendships? What set of values determines how engaged you are in the brokenness that’s around you? What set of values shapes your practical everyday living? What set of values shapes what you do where you are? Is your life consumed with the ‘driveness’ of the values of a ravenous culture that never seems to be satisfied? Or have you eavesdropped on eternity?”

Have you heard where the story is going, and have you understood that that final picture of beautiful Shalom in New Jerusalem is more than just a welcome to hope? It's a call to a particular way of living. I would ask you, “Are you engaged, recognizing that everything is broken? Are you zealous to incarnate the character of the Lord who has radically transformed your life?” You want to faithfully reflect His character. It's important to you. You want to do that at work. You want to do that in the community, and you want to do that wherever you are.

Are you motivated by compassion, or can you look at suffering, and you're so busy, you don't even see it? Or does it break your heart? And, are you dissatisfied, and do you want to reach out and touch a sufferer with the love of the Lord Jesus Christ? If you could just do that once, you would think it would be worth living. Are you humble? Do you walk around with a Christian sense of arrival, ready to critique everything; or do you understand the beautiful privilege that you have been given that you know that you could never ever deserve it? And in your heart, there’s a sweetness of the gift of God's grace, and that sweetness makes it impossible for you to mistreat sinners because, when you look in their eyes, you see yourself? And are you courageous, standing for what is right, it is hard?

You won't always be liked; you won’t always be understood; people won't always appreciate what you say and what you do, but you don't quit; you don't relent because you've got amazing reasons for courage. You know where the story is going, and you know that Immanuel is with you. I would say, “What set of values shapes your living? Are you a willing, active, and engaged part of the great renewal of humanity that is the work of your Redeemer? And do you live engaged because you have your eyes on your future address, Shalom? Are you one of God's instruments of renewal?”

Let’s pray: Lord, what a beautiful, beautiful picture we have seen today as we are allowed, by You, to look into eternity and to listen, to get a sense of what our future address is. But not only that, but to get a sense of this grandeur agenda that You have called us to be part of, something that's bigger than just the involvements we have every day, something that changes the way we’re involved with those things. Thank you that You’ve not only chosen us to be Your children, You've called us to be a part of the most exciting and significant work in the universe, the renewal of it all. Lord, I pray that that renewal would grip us and would change us. And we would pray that not for our glory, not for the glory of Tenth Church, but for Your glory. In Jesus name, Amen.