Welcome to week one of a two week series entitled Dangerous Church. The title for today’s message is Dangerous Transformations.I want to begin today by sharing some safety rules. Maybe some of you heard these safety rules growing up. You know, those rules that we were supposed to follow if we didn’t want to get killed or hurt bad? Rules like this:

1. Don’t jump on your bed or you may bonk your head.
2. Don’t go swimming until at least 30 minutes after you eat or you may get a cramp and drown.
3. Don’t run around with scissors or you may fall and poke your eye out.
4. Put your coat on or you’ll freeze to death!
5. Don’t play with your belly button or the thing may become unravelled and you’ll fly away like a balloon.
6. Stop making those faces or you’ll end up looking like that!

In the church there are also some safety rules as well…they may not be formally taught but they are often practiced. You don’t really see them in any official church manuals or instruction guides. Their not found in any guest packets or membership outlines but nevertheless these are some unspoken safety rules usually found in the North American church.

1. Don’t offend anybody.
2. Don’t talk about anything controversial.
3. Don’t change anything…we like the way it was done “back then” so keep doing it that way.

Now, here’s the problem – many churches today could be described as “safe” churches. The problem is that when you look at the model of the New Testament church there is nothing safe about it! Here at HPC I want us to embrace this dangerous mission statement,

Our mission is allow the light of God to shine so powerfully through our lives that people can’t help but join us in becoming fully devoted followers of Christ.

Let’s repeat that together… (repeat). Our goal as a body of Christ is to be like a City on a Hill as Jesus described and urged in Matthew 5:14,

14 “You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.
Matthew 5:14-16 (NIV)

Notice what we’re not about: we’re not about politics, we’re not about trying to please people, we’re simply about allowing the light of God to shine so powerfully through our lives that people can’t help but join us in becoming fully devoted followers of Christ. The goal is to see people come to Christ. It’s pretty simple. Our purpose is simple as well. How will we accomplish our mission? There are four action words to describe our purpose:

1. INSPIRE – Bring IN
2. EQUIP – Build UP and TRAIN
3. INVOLVE – Build TOGETHERNESS (community)
4. SEND – Send OUT

I’d like to say that we will do anything short of sin to bring people into the family of God! The church should be INSPIRING – in fact the inspiration of the church is found in the creative and powerful work of the Holy Spirit who will operate in the life of any believer who allows Him. He is the light that inspires!

We want people to built up in the Word of God and build that sold foundation of truth in their lives. We also want people to discover their gifts and abilities that God has given them.

Then we want people to realize that we are all part of a team, the body of Christ and that we are in this incredible spiritual journey together. Together with each other and together with God. As we get involved in the game we will continue to develop our gifts and abilities and SERVE one another.

Finally we want people to be sent to all the corners of the world to INSPIRE and SHINE the light of God so that more people come to Christ – thus beginning the cycle again! We are a sending church to fulfill the great commission of Christ, “Go and make disciples of all the nations…”

The problem today is many churches slip into a safety zone – for example, I’ve run into this phrase many times in online conversations with various people. I remember a conversation with one guy that got around to spiritual things somehow and He said that He loved God. It was cool, I typed back…hey I love God too! Then I asked Him what church do you go to? He typed, “Oh, I love God but I hate church!” “Oh?” I replied, “Why is that?”. He said, “Because I grew up going to church and every week we went to church but in church nothing happens”.

Now I don’t know about you, but in some ways I identified with what this guy wrote. I remember growing up in church and in the church I grew up in nothing happened! It was the safest place to go to – we were never confronted, never challenged. Everyone had their seat they sat in – we knew how to blend in – when to stand up, when to sit down and we had our memorized sayings – it was just a safe place!

Here’s the thing, though, when you look at the New Testament model of the church – when people truly encounter a Holy God – SOMETHING ALWAYS HAPPENS!

One of the most dangerous places to be when you talk about the status quo is to be in the presence of God because in the presence of God things don’t stay the same. I believe God is calling our church to be a dangerous church.

Today we’re going to talk about how God transforms by His power through a dangerous church. We’re going to look at three biblical thoughts…

1. A dangerous church transforms the ordinary into the extraordinary

A dangerous church takes ordinary people and transforms them into extraordinary world changers. Take the example of Peter and John who were walking through the Temple grounds one day, on their way to prayer and they walked past a crippled man who begged for some money. They didn’t have any money and Peter mentioned that – however He said, “What we do have I give you, in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, get up and walk” Immediately this crippled man got up and walked! A crowd gathered around Peter and John and they began to teach the crowd about Jesus. Imagine Peter and John were getting up in front of a crowd in which there were probably some of the same people who had called out for the death of Jesus just a little over a month ago. In fact, they were teaching about Jesus in probably one of the most hostile places at that time to do so!
It is no wonder that we find this written in Acts 4:13,

When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus.
Acts 4:13 (NIV)

The Pharisees and Saducees who were a part of the “safe” religion of the day – didn’t approve of what Peter and John were doing. Yet they saw what they had done and the Bible says they astonished because they realized that Peter and John were unschooled ordinary men with extraordinary courage. What gave Peter and John this courage. What is it that took these ordinary, unschooled men and caused them to do something extraordinary? Something was happening, and that something was noticed by the Pharisees and Saducees. They took note that Peter and John had been with Jesus.

Friends, when an ordinary person like you and me spend some time with Jesus we cannot stay the same! He transforms us!

Here’s something else I want to point out. The word that is translated from the Greek, the original language, into the word “ordinary” is the word idiotes (id-ee-o’-tace). The word idiotes should have been translated as idiot or ignoramus. That’s literally what they are saying. How could all these unschooled idiots be doing what they do? This brings me great comfort to know that in the New Testament they were a bunch of idiots because that means we’re a biblical church because we’re a bunch of idiots! And you’re looking at the chiefest idiot right here! I really am! We’re ordinary people!

Every time before I get up to speak I get nervous. I get those butterflies in my stomach, my knees knock a bit…why? Because I’m just an ordinary regular guy. I was nervous!

I love this story I heard told recently. There was this minister who got up to deliver a very formal prayer. And he began by raising his hands, looking up to heaven and saying, “O Lord, without Thee, we are only but dust”. At this point a little girl turned to her mother and asked, “Mama, what is ‘butt dust’?”…

We’re dust! We’re ordinary regular people – who have been with Jesus.

Think about this: When Jesus left heaven and came to earth to establish the kingdom of heaven of earth….who did he invite to be on His team?

• Some uneducated fisherman
• Some tax-collectors
• Prostitues
• The ordinary, the broken, the lonely or the outcast

Jesus transformed the idotes into the extraordinary…think how different that is from today (organizations looking for the best…i.e. military)

When Jesus came He didn’t come for the healthy He came for the sick. He didn’t come for the already convinced but for the doubters and the sceptics. He didn’t come for the self-proclaimed righteous ones – He came for the sinners!

He came for the everyday ordinary idotes… why? because they were simply naïve enough to believe that what he said was true! The religious folk stood back and said that this is too dangerous. Notice that Jesus didn’t call a single Pharisee, priest, saduccee, rabbi, why? Because they had become too safe…trusting in the traditions of man rather than believing God.

In God’s presence something always happens!

See next verse (Paul) what kind of miracle?

11 God did extraordinary miracles through Paul, 12 so that even handkerchiefs and aprons that had touched him were taken to the sick, and their illnesses were cured and the evil spirits left them.
Acts 19:11-12 (NIV)

{Share a personal experience something extraordinary through very ordinary means. An illustration where I was just naïve enough to believe that it might be true…

share about junior youth at King St. and praying for the youth and them being slain in the Spirit…how shocked I was…share about the story about parents taking their youth to the hospital thinking there was something wrong with them}

When God came to establish His kingdom on Earth…who did he call? Ordinary people. People who simply believed Him at His word. A dangerous church transforms the ordinary into the extraordinary.

When is the last time you believed God for something absolutely extraordinary. The dangerous church is made up of ordinary people who have been with Jesus. You see, when you experience Jesus in both a head way and a heart way he will transform your life.

I read this article recently in Christianity Today that draws an interesting analogy that answers an interesting question, “What is the biggest business in your town?” Think of Hanover right now…what is the biggest business in Hanover, Ontario?

• what are some possible answers? Walmart? Hanover Race Track? Smitty’s?

This article says the biggest business is God’s business – now don’t wig out and start calling me heretical – yes the church is not a business but for the sake of discussion and illustration let’s say it is “God’s business” and it’s the most important business on planet earth doing the business of God?

• Name one business in town that has more money than the local church? (the resources of the church is not what it has in it’s bank account but what the true church “us” have in ours…the resources available to the church through the people).
• What’s the most durable and strongest business in town?’ the local church. Name one business that has lasted longer than 2000 years? You can’t only the local church fits the bill.
An entire empire tried to shut the church down by killing Christians…yet today the Roman empire is dead but the church has spread all over the world. Even today in the few communist regimes that remain in power they are trying to contain the spread of Christianity. They are failing miserably.

Some would argue the biggest business in town is God’s business. That leads into the question…why is God’s business not as effective as it could be?

1. The local branches are competing against one another rather than complementing or completing one another.
2. A lot of local branches are more interested in the name on the outside of the building than being united under the One name in whom we serve.

The biggest argument is this, especially for the North American church – is because we are better at being spiritual consumers than we are being spiritual contributors.

2. A Dangerous Church transforms Consumers into Contributors

44 All the believers were together and had everything in common. 45 Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need.
Acts 2:44-45 (NIV)

Example in Acts 2:44-45…regular people with kids, bills and trying to make it trying to get ahead…but when they experience biblical community look what happens…

• Now imagine this…if every local branch of God’s business in our town saw ourselves as one and united imagine what we could do.
• Imagine if us looking at our money, our time, our gifts and instead of saying their MINE we instead say they belong to God.
• There would not be a single need in our cities that we could not meet if the church started acting like the church…think about it.
• The problem…we’d rather be consumers than contributers.

Exception: Before we continue let me say this. For those of you who are not yet Christ-followers…consume. You don’t give a penny, or your time (unless you want to) don’t feel obligated. This is for you. Here’s the promise – you seek God with everything in you and you are going to find Him and He will change your world. That’s the promise. So consume.

But for those of you who are Christ followers:
Let me tell you right now, it is a sad day when you are characterised by consuming more than you are by contributing. Now listen carefully some of you…(chide the congregation)

There are some of you who are who are:

• sitting in a seat and inside a building paid for by people who gave above their tithes, above their ten percent and you sit here and consume and contribute nothing back…shame on you.
• walk in every week and someone hands you a bulletin and smiles at you and you’ve never once thought about serving – you’re a Christ follower? Shame on you.
• You drop your kids off week after week in the children’s ministry and all the volunteers give their time to disciple your kids and you’ve never once thought about giving one hour back to someone else’s kids. Shame on you. You’re a consumer. Why? Because it’s all about you isn’t it.

If you’re new here today. Welcome to HPC! Where we just want to make you feel special.

We need to be mature about this. It is a tragedy that North American Christians would rather be consumers than contributors!

We whine because we can’t find one church that meets all of our needs. Do you realize how often so called “Christ-followers” say that? I can’t find any church that meets all of my needs so I’m not going anywhere. Do you realize how incredibly unbiblical and selfish that statement is?

We’ve got to get this right – The church is not here for us. We are the church and the church is here for the world!

“Can’t find a church that meets my needs”….Grow up!

God will be glorified when the body of Christ acts like the body of Christ. When is the last time you have given of yourself sacrificially for the work of God?

The dangerous church transforms consumers into contributors.

Transition…recap previous statements:

3. A Dangerous Church transforms the living to the dead.

Now before any of you cry out heresy… “The Bible says Jesus transforms dead things to living things!” Yes He does, but first He transforms living things to dead things!

I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.
Galatians 2:20 (NIV)

Talk about transformation in personal life from the way I was to the way I am today…that Darren died – old life died – I wasn’t always Pastor Darren. That old nature has been crucified with Christ.

May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.
Galatians 6:14 (NIV)

When you look back at the things that have happened in your life there are many things that Christ-followers can recognize the signature of God in. It is true that God does amazing things in our lives – many things that might go unnoticed if we don’t take the time to think about it. But even more amazing is when I look back at the past year at the things God has done I can say that, “More of me died” – the greatest work God did in transforming my life.

In the past year I’ve died more to

• Materialism and the quest for “stuff”
• My selfishness
• Consumerist attitude
• Self-Sufficiency

Friends, Jesus transforms the living to the dead so that the dead can live like they never have before! The question for “you” is this then, “Are you dead yet?” What is it in your life that is still living that needs to be crucified with Christ.

CONCLUSION

In the presence of a Holy God something always happens. Our church must be dangerously focused and passionate about this one thing… “to let the light of God shine through our lives in such a way that people can’t help but become devoted followers of Jesus Christ”

And when we pursue Christ, God will impact our lives and we will never be the same.

PRAY

“Sorry, I don’t know if we’re going to get in there – there’s just too many people surrounding the house. We’ll have to try and get to Jesus another day.”

The men looked at their friend on the mat and he shrugged his shoulders, “oh well, thanks guys for making the effort” Valiant words, but they could see the disappointment in his eyes. Something seized them in that moment and they looked at each other while their friend lay down on the mat. One of men peered down the alleyway behind the stretcher and noticed that there was a ladder leaning against the wall that reached the roof. He stepped out into street a bit and gauged the distance between the houses lining the street leading up to the house where the master was. He quickly gathered the rest of the men together and began pointing as he explained his plan. They nodded in agreement, it was worth a try.

Their paralytic friend was startled out of his rest as the men picked up the mat and moved toward the ladder. It wasn’t easy getting up the ladder and required some rather uncomfortable positions. There were a couple moments where the paralytic man almost slid out of his stretcher – but his friends were careful and they made it to the roof safely. One of the men pulled up the ladder and it became a makeshift bridge between the roofs of the remaining houses. As the men moved from rooftop to rooftop people in the streets began pointing and murmuring among themselves, wondering what these men were up to and what kind of predicament they were putting their friend in.

As the group of men and their paralytic friend approached their destination they began to hear the voice of the one they sought. They could hear Him speaking and teaching and the closer they got the more they began to make out what He was saying.

Then as they crossed over the improvised bridge one last time they set down their friend on the roof. The paralytic looked with love to his friends and said, “Thank you my friends, It is good that at least I can hear His voice and drink in His words.”

His friends simply smiled and said, “We’re not done yet!” Each of them took off their cloaks and their shirts and two of them began weaving them into makeshift ropes while the other two began to remove the thatch from the roof and work their way through the sturdy material. The paralytic man, propped up on an elbow began to wonder if His friends had gone mad, the owner of the house would not be happy or what if the roof of the house gave way?

The people in the house had heard the initial footsteps on the roof but many of them were simply listening too closely to the teacher to give any thought to why there might be that sound. But then, eventually their attention became distracted by the falling debris from the ceiling and the ray of light when the men on the roof poked through. By the time the hole was big enough to accommodate the stretcher the crowd below were watching with puzzled looks. The teacher was watching as well. Having stopped speaking when the first small hole appeared, he now looked, not with a puzzled gaze, like the others, but instead with expectation. He knew what these men were up to.

Then the men on the roof went to their friend on the stretcher and attached their makeshift ropes and lowered him to the feet of the teacher. Peering through the hole in the ceiling with sweat dripping from their faces and their chests heaving, they watched, hoping, waiting to see what Jesus would do. Finally they had made it. Then Jesus spoke…

In the gospel according to Mark we find a wonderful account of an incredible blessing in the life of a young man who was paralyzed. A blessing that occurred in his life because He had friends who didn’t let a crowd, or a roof get in the way of bringing their friend to Jesus. It is significant that scripture records the first action of Jesus in response to the efforts of these men is to commend them for their faith – a faith that led them to even bring down a roof to get help for their friend.

Now there are a lot of things that stand out in this story, but today I want to ask one question that I believe the Holy Spirit would have us ask this morning. “What roofs are in your way?” I believe that God desires that every single one of us would not only know great blessing in our lives but also be agents of great blessing in other people’s lives.

Jesus himself said once, “I have come that you may have life, and have it more abundantly” (John 10:10).

From the fullness of his grace we have all received one blessing after another.
John 1:16 (NIV)

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ.
Ephesians 1:3 (NIV)

Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult, but with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing.
1 Peter 3:9 (NIV)

The thing about God’s blessing is that scripture teaches the principle that living in God’s blessing for your own life involves God blessing others through you. That is what happened in this story.

Blessing is one of those words that can have any one of a dozen meanings depending on your perspective. Generally speaking though, when we think of blessing we think of something that is good – something that is beneficial – and something that is a realized desire.

In scripture, blessing is always connected with God. God is the source of every good blessing – his very presence is a blessing. More specifically the New Testament teaches us that the greatest blessing is life found in Jesus Christ. That’s the significance of the story this morning. What consumed the thoughts and actions of these men was getting their friend to Jesus. Jesus is the source of the blessing.

So if it is God’s desire that we experience His blessing and that He blesses others through us, what are the roofs in your way? What keeps people from living in the blessing of God? There are far too many people (some of you who are sitting here today) who are not living in God’s blessing let alone being a blessing to others.

The thickest roof that stands between man and God is the exaltation of self. That is, when the Almighty “me” is placed on a pedestal of necessity. Friends the Bible doesn’t speak against loving who you are, or loving the way God has made you, or thinking good about yourself. But the Bible does have much to say against those who worship themselves. That is they are consumed with the preservation, the pleasure, and the promotion of themselves.

Jesus, in a conversation one day with a man shared the two greatest commandments. Commandments that shatter this humanistic idolatry of self.

- two greatest commandments Love God with all your heart….
- Love your neighbor as yourself.

What stands out about the paralytic man and his friends is that the roof between them and Jesus was torn apart by a faith carried by selflessness. These men were doing what they did out of a love for their friend and were not thinking of what they could get out of it. And so they entered into the blessing of Christ.

Now I want to help you with answering the question, “what roofs are in your way?” this morning. I believe that scripture can help us answer that question. On principle, most of us will vehemently deny we worship ourselves! But then, can you confidently say you are living in the blessing of God? Can you most assuredly say that the full blessing of God is working through you. If so, then that’s awesome! Feel free to tune out and spend some time thinking about what you’re going to do after the service. I suspect, though that some of you are interested in knowing what roofs are in your way this morning.

The worship of self is exhibited in many symptoms but I’m just going to mention a few this morning.

1. The pursuit of comfort

The pursuit of comfort is illustrated by the thought, “I’ll just pass on the pain”. This pursuit is directed by the path of least resistance. Self-worshipers don’t like being uncomfortable, and will avoid any discomfort at all costs and do whatever it takes to remain in the place of comfort. Decisions and choices are made with the consideration of whether it will contribute to their comfort or will make things uncomfortable. These people don’t like feeling uncomfortable let alone being uncomfortable.

Now, don’t misunderstand me, I’m not saying that it’s wrong to want a little comfort in your life. After all, it’s nice to have a roof over our heads and food in our bellies, and clothes on our backs. It becomes a problem when an individual sees pain as an enemy and is constantly looking for ways to increase their comfort with the least amount of effort.

What does this lead to?
a. Rebellion and Disobedience
Take the example of Jonah in the Bible. God wanted to bless him and make him a blessing to the people of Nineveh. Because of the evil lifestyle and actions of the people of Nineveh, God was about to pour out the wrath of his judgment on them. But because of God’s grace and mercy He wanted to give them a chance to repent first. So, God decided to send the prophet Jonah. To this preacher God said one word, “GO”! That is a small word, but it carried with it a big blessing. But Jonah’s reply was “NO”! That is a small word, too, but it cut off the blessing.

Jonah didn’t go to Nineveh for two reasons – he didn’t want the Ninevites to be rescued from God’s wrath and it would mean leaving the comfort of His current life. The ironic thing about people who pursue comfort is that they don’t ever reach that place of comfort! There came a time when God conquered Jonah’s rebellious spirit, but the Lord had to send Jonah through a terrible storm, where he was tossed overboard, swallowed by a whale, lived in the belly of a whale for three days, and spit up on dry land before Jonah learned his lesson.

b. Resistance to Change
Another fruit of this pursuit is that there will be a resistance to change. Granted, not all change is good – but healthy growth always involves positive change. And change always means some degree of discomfort as we learn to adapt to that change. A common saying of the self-worshiper is, “but that’s the way it’s always been done.” What they’re really saying is, “that’s all I’m comfortable with”.

c. Indifference
Another fruit of this pursuit and one that is more social in nature is the indifference it creates towards any discomfort among our fellow man. “Well I’m okay, that’s all that matters”. Indifference can not only affect how we care for others but it also can affect our attitude towards opportunity. Opportunities to experience God’s blessing and for God’s blessing to work through you will come and go because of the indifference towards what might bring discomfort into your life.

Dig through the roof…
What roof is in your way? Is it the quest for comfort? Do you think the friends of the paralytic man would have even carried him as far as they did up that street if they were only concerned for their comfort? If comfort was their pursuit, then forget about them carrying their friend to a roof and digging through to get Him to Jesus!

But we know that they did carry their friend to Jesus because of their love for their friend and because they were not worshippers of self. Selfless people don’t see pain or discomfort as something to be avoided but instead as something that contributes to the significance and value of their end goal. Sure those men were dripping sweat and probably had raw hands and sore muscles from carrying their friend and getting Him to Jesus. Then of course there wasn’t only the physical cost of their actions but there is also the discomfort that they probably faced after when the owner of the house sent them the bill for the hole in his roof! But here’s the thing, as those guys were looking down at their friend and Jesus reaching out to Him, were they thinking it was worth it?

If we’re going to dig through the roof of the pursuit of comfort we have to realize that true comfort from this world is an illusion. Such a pursuit will lead to a hollow, meaningless, and yes even comfortless existence. True comfort is only obtained outside of this world and finds it’s source in God.

2. The pursuit of pleasure

A close cousin to the pursuit of comfort is the pursuit of pleasure. Not everyone who is a worshipper of self is in pursuit of comfort. In fact there are many in the world today that practice the mantra of “no pain, no gain”. But everyone who is a worshipper of self is in pursuit of pleasure.

The pursuit of pleasure comes in a myriad of shapes and forms and manifestations but it nearly always is best expressed in the question, “What’s in it for me?” – “What do I get out of this?” The pursuit of pleasure is also one of those insidious symptoms of self-worship that isn’t always easy to spot – especially in the seemingly charitable actions of others. Yet there are many self-worshippers in our world who give money or even volunteer for a “good work” after first evaluating what they will get out of it. How many people in churches today evaluate what the church does in terms of how many people come into the church as a result of that activity? How many people in churches today ask before doing anything, “what’s in it for us?”

Again, like the pursuit of comfort, it’s not wrong to want a little pleasure in your life! But the problem is that when pleasure becomes a driving force in your life you end up cutting yourself off from the blessings of God. Instead of allowing God to grow and lead us to the good pasture of pleasure, a self-worshipper grazes on the putrid ground of rotting thrills.

Self-Worshippers get caught in a pursuit that never satisfies them. And the saddest thing? The saddest thing is that there are so many Christians caught in the consumerist mindset arising from this pursuit. A calamity that has left much of the western church with a Christianity that bears little resemblance to the church of Acts and a lifestyle that has little to offer that’s different from the world.

Demas is an illustration of this point. He was a young man who heard Paul preach one day. He was drawn by the Holy Spirit in the truth that God spoke through Paul. Every word was a challenge to this young man’s heart. In a great moment of spiritual ecstasy he cried out, “I will leave everything and go with this man in the service of Jesus Christ”. Such a great decision! There is little greater than someone who will willingly commit themselves to God and God’s work. Demas was right by Paul’s side. He was a joy and a help to him. But they journeyed to the great city, and attraction of the pleasures the world offered him blinded the eyes of Demas (2 Timothy 4:10). Demas deserted Paul and the calling God has placed on his life and cut off every blessing for himself and for others whom he might have served.

There is an article I came across once by George Barna who has been researching the North American church for many decades. In the article, he describes that most Christians and non-Christians have the same values, the same wants and desires. He went on to say that many Christians believe what they want is Biblically accurate, even though what they believe is more in line with what our western culture promotes than what the Bible teaches. Here’s a couple he listed:

i. Acquisitions: Our culture defines happiness in terms of what we have: bank accounts, homes, clothes and cars. Or, happiness is defined by experiences: fine restaurants, sporting events, skiing trips, and tours of Europe.
ii. Merit-based: Our value and position depend in some measure upon our parents status and in great measure upon our accomplishments. This even happens in the church. When I was a youth pastor I would sometimes receive from well-meaning Christians the question, “So when are you going to become a real pastor?”

Dig through the roof…
What roof is in your way? Is it the pursuit of pleasure? Were the friends of the paralytic man thinking about what was in it for them when they lifted up his stretcher and carried him to the house where Jesus was? Were they really thinking about what benefit they would get when they dug through the bird crap, dirt, mud and thatch to poke a hole through the roof of the house? Here’s the thing, they weren’t doing any of this for their own pleasure and no doubt it wasn’t a very pleasurable experience! But still, they were looking to bless their friend. And in the process they were blessed too.

If we are to break through the roof of self-worship then we need to recognize the symptoms of the pursuit of pleasure and eradicate that pursuit from our life. We need to realize that healthy pleasure isn’t so much a destination as it is the result of a process. When pleasure is viewed merely as a destination it results in an unhealthy pursuit. It results in the accumulation of things or the chasing of experiences to satisfy that lust for pleasure.

When we understand that pleasure is the result of process we discover it in places we never thought of before. How many young people dream of the day they get married. They pursue the ideal mate and that romantic “happily ever after” vision promoted by the fairytales of their childhood. Then they meet the person and complete the ceremony and, well that’s it. They’ve reached the destination – but it doesn’t seem to be all that it’s cracked up to be. The pleasure in great marriages isn’t the destination, it’s the process. So many marriages are falling apart today because marriage is viewed as a destination rather than a process. If you enter marriage thinking you’ve achieved everything you need to make a great marriage work and pleasurable then you are deluded.

Now in saying this, I don’t mean that there is never pleasure in the destination. But what I am saying is that merely pursuing pleasure as a destination will result in a continual dissatisfaction.

Another important thing to remember that will help us dig through this roof is that the pleasure of this world is temporary and fleeting. Christ offers us a pleasure that is eternal and lasting. Jesus himself said,

19 “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. 20 But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal.
Matthew 6:19-20 (NIV)

What are treasures in heaven? They are the things that last beyond this world. The things that bring pleasure on an eternal scale rather than limited to the time we have here on earth.

One of the greatest of these eternal treasures is the pleasure of being a vehicle of blessing to others. In fact, God has wired us so that our greatest pleasure comes from loving and serving others. The path to being fulfilled and satisfied in life is found not in the accumulation of things and the amassing of accolades but is instead in the living out of God’s command to love your neighbor as yourself.

What roof is in your way?

(…the third symptom of those who worship themselves is…)

3. The pursuit of self-righteousness

Self-righteousness is best exemplified in the statement, “I have my rights”. In other words that either there are good things that I deserve because of what I’ve done or by virtue of who I am or there are things that should happen to you because of what you’ve done or by virtue of who you are.

A self-righteous person is also concerned most about appearances. It doesn’t really matter what they are thinking or storing away in their hearts or their minds but they are concerned about what others are thinking about them and how they appear to those of influence and other people who “have it all together”.

The pursuit of self-righteousness is like the pursuit of pleasure in that it is often insidious in character. Nevertheless it will rear it’s ugly head in several noticeable areas.

What does it lead to?
a. Unforgiveness
When offended the self-righteous will grab a hold of that offense, claim it, and nurture it. The offense will grow into bitterness and it becomes an inalienable “right” that they feel this way towards the one who offended them. In this climate of hurt and malicious feelings it is no wonder that forgiveness is far from their mind. This lack of forgiveness will always be a barrier to receiving and passing on blessing from God.

b. Critical Spirit
The pursuit of self-righteousness will also lead to a critical spirit.

A learned man said to D.L. Moody one day, “You made 38 grammatical errors in your sermon today.” Moody replied, “I am quite sure that I must have made even more than that. I have not had the educational advantages that you have had, but I am trying to use all that I have for the glory of God, are you?” (illustration quoted in “Barriers to Blessing” by Ed Wood)

I wonder how much the man got out of Moody’s sermon that day? The man who looks for only the mistakes of others finds little in life with which to enrich himself.

In their critical way, the self-righteous often judge men by what they have seen, when really and truly no one knows another’s heart. We throw self-righteous robes around us, we flash our critical eyes upon others and say, “Thank God, I’m not like these other men.” Yet, we do not know the things that are deep down in their hearts.

Why did Jesus first say to the paralytic, “Your sins are forgiven”? Do you really think that’s why his friends went through all that effort to bring him to Jesus? To simply hear that his “sins” are forgiven? I don’t want to minimize the importance of those very words being spoken. For indeed Jesus, does have the authority to speak them and there is a necessity for every single one of us to hear those words. But I believe that Jesus chose those words to be the first out of His mouth because He wanted to call out the self-righteous arrogance in that room – the self-righteous arrogance that would be appalled at the actions of those who dug through the roof and even more so at the way in which this teaching was interrupted; the self-righteous arrogance producing the judgement that this paralytic was responsible for his own condition by his sins – let alone the indignation that Jesus would could forgive them! The self-worshipers in that room were so wrapped up in their self-righteousness that they missed out on the blessing of God’s righteousness in that room that day. Instead of leaving blessed they left condemned.

c. looking for the line of least responsibility and culpability
When looking at their relationship to the world around them, the self-righteous are always looking for the line of least responsibility and culpability. That is, what is the minimum I need to do to keep up appearances and make it. You can apply this to any situation but it is terribly sad when so many Christians live like this. When they ask questions like, “How far can I go and still be a virgin?”, “Have I prayed enough to look spiritual?”, “Do I have to tithe off my gross income or my net income?”. The Pharisees and Sadducees in Jesus’ day became experts at drawing the line. The thing is, no matter where you draw the line, God sees right through to your heart. And your heart is what matters to God.

What roof is in your way?

My heart aches, when I think of how much of God’s blessing we miss out on because we draw a line of minimum responsibility and effort. When instead, we should be looking at the limitless gifts God has already given us – gifts equipping us to pass on His blessing to others in fulfilling the greatest commandments: Love God with all your heart, soul, strength, and mind – and to love your neighbor as yourself.

CONCLUSION

In some ways, the actions of those men taking friend to Jesus is a prelude to the very action of Christ in bringing the lost to his Father. Imagine, God Himself, in Christ choosing to leave the comfort and limitless pleasure of His eternal throne to take on the humble mantle of humanity. Not only that but what was the roof Jesus broke through? Jesus dug through the roof of sin which kept a poor and crippled world from the presence of the Father.

In the ultimate pain of the cross and the ridicule of the very men and women he came to save – in the pain of being rejected by those who called Him master and friend, Jesus clawed his way through that roof and in doing so granted every single one of us access to the great blessings of the Father. Through Him we are blessed and Him through us is a blessing to others.

This thought brings new meaning to the passage in Hebrews,

Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
Hebrews 12:2 (NIV)

What was the joy set before Him? I believe it was the same joy set before the men hanging over the edge of the tattered and broken roof, gazing upon their friend who they loved, receiving healing and forgiveness from the lips of the master.

What roof is in your way? Have you detected any self-worship in your life this morning? Have you become aware of the pursuit of comfort, the pursuit of pleasure, or the pursuit of self-righteousness in your life? I invite you to allow the Holy Spirit to help you break through that roof this morning.

As a church, if we are going to fulfill this vision God has given us to be a City on a Hill – then there are a few roofs that are going to be torn down along the way. There are times where God may ask us to do things that don’t seem to bring any benefit – but it is the doing that matters.

What roof is in your way?

When he was a boy growing up in Philadelphia, Tony Campolo and his best friend devised what they considered a brilliant and creative Halloween prank ? one which, by the way, they never carried out. Their plan was to break into the basement of the local five-and-dime store (kind of like a mini-Walmart for those of you to young to remember five-and-dimes). They never planned to rob the store, but had they carried out their idea, it would have been far worse.

Their plan was to get into the store and change the price tags on all the merchandise. They imagined what it would be like the next morning when people came into the store and discovered that radios were marked at a quarter each an the price of hair pins had suddenly been raised to five dollars a package. With a great deal of delight, they wondered what it would be like in the store when no one could figure out what the prices of things really should be.

In recalling his boyhood plan of Halloween mischief, Campolo said that he often thinks that the world in which we live is trying to play that trick on all of us. At times, it appears that somebody has broken into our lives and changed the price tags ? the value ? attached to practically everything.
(quoted in ?Clothe Yourself With Christ? by William Nieporte)

What makes things worse is that so often we play along with this malicious devilment! We have a tendency to treat with great affection those things that have little worth and at the same time make great sacrifices for the things which, in the end, have no real lasting value. Even sadder is the lack of investment in the things that do matter!

Sometimes it seems that we have little notion about how to realistically assess and assign appropriate values to the contents of our lives. More often than not, this comes from a lack of understanding what is truly important.

Who switched the price tags?

In January 1996, Rev. Joe Wright, senior pastor of the 2,500-member Central Christian Church in Wichita, Kansas, was invited to offer the opening prayer at a session of the Kansas House of Representatives. Invited by Rep. Anthony Powell, Rev. Wright composed the prayer, read it at the opening of the legislature on January 23, and departed, unaware of the ruckus he had created until his church secretary called him on his car phone to ask him what he had done.
One Democrat walked out in protest, three others gave speeches critical of Wright’s prayer, and another blasted Wright’s “message of intolerance.” ? Rep. Jim Long, a Democrat from Kansas City, said that Wright “made everyone mad.” ?
Wright appeared on dozens of radio shows, received thousands of calls, and was the subject of numerous TV and print news reports, and his prayer stirred up controversy all over again when it was read by the chaplain coordinator in the Nebraska legislature the following month.

The prayer reads as follows:
Heavenly Father, we come before you to ask your forgiveness. We seek your direction and your guidance. We know your word says, “Woe to those who call evil good.” But that’s what we’ve done.

We’ve lost our spiritual equilibrium. We have inverted our values. We have ridiculed the absolute truth of your word in the name of moral pluralism. We have worshiped other gods and called it multiculturalism.

We have endorsed perversion and called it an alternative lifestyle.

We’ve exploited the poor and called it a lottery. We’ve neglected the needy and called it self-preservation. We have rewarded laziness and called it welfare. In the name of choice, we have killed our unborn. In the name of right to life, we have killed abortionists.

We have neglected to discipline our children and called it building self-esteem. We have abused power and called it political savvy. We have coveted our neighbor’s possessions and called it taxes. We have polluted the air with profanity and pornography and called it freedom of expression. We have ridiculed the time-honored values of our forefathers and called it enlightenment.

Search us, oh, God, and know our hearts today. Try us. Show us any wickedness within us. Cleanse us from every sin and set us free. Guide and bless these men and women who have been sent here by the people of the State of Kansas, and that they have been ordained by you to govern this great state.

Grant them your wisdom to rule. May their decisions direct us to the center of your will. And, as we continue our prayer and as we come in out of the fog, give us clear minds to accomplish our goals as we begin this Legislature. For we pray in Jesus’ name,
Amen. (from the website, ?everything2?)

This bold prayer by Rev. Wright highlighted many of the tags that have been switched ? who switched the price tags?

Many people are familiar with the famous quote from John F. Kennedy, former president of the United States. When he was president he challenged his nation with these stirring words,

Ask not what your country can do for you. Ask what you can do for your country.

Yet today people are looking toward their country, their government, their employers, and civic groups for products and services. Our culture today is plagued with a consumerist attitude and if that weren?t bad enough, people look at the church with the same sort of mentality! Rather than seeing the church as a place to worship God and a place from which to serve the world, people shop for the church that ?meets their and their families needs?!

This consumerist mentality has so infiltrated the church that we evaluate our success (pastors and church leaders are especially guilty of this) in terms of bodies and budgets rather than lives impacted for the cause of the Kingdom!

The sad reality is that somebody has switched the price tags throughout our society ? and too often those of us who are in the church are a reflection of those misplaced values, rather than illustrations of the redemptive transformation of God!

Paul addressed these mixed up values in the Romans 12 and 13. His aim and ambition in writing those words is very simple ? to encourage those whose lives have been redeemed to live as redeemed people! In other words, get dressed! Stop wearing the clothes of your sinful old nature and put on the Kingdom clothing of your redemption!

In Romans 12:1-2 (which was read at the beginning of the service) Paul connected all that he had said in the first eleven chapters of Romans with all that he is saying in the remaining portions of the letter. He began in verse 1 by saying, ?Therefore, in view of God?s mercy?? In other words ? Paul is about to tell us exactly what God wants from us ? but before he does that, he wants to remind us about everything he has been teaching about God?s mercy in the first eleven chapters of Romans. A quick review reveals that those in Christ?

- are DEAD to sin?s power and control and ALIVE in Christ
- are DEAD to the law and ANIMATED by the Holy Spirit
- enjoy all of the blessings associate with NEW LIFE in the Spirit

Then Paul begins Romans 12 that in view of ALL these things (that is in the view of God?s mercy) ? present yourselves as living sacrifices, Holy and pleasing to God. Notice, Paul does NOT say: ?Make yourself HOLY and PLEASING to God!? Paul has already told us that IN CHRIST we are Holy! He has already taught in the first 11 chapters of Romans about how through Christ we are acceptable to God. So in opening Romans 12 with these words Paul is not giving us an admonition to do anything! Rather it is a call to place all that God has given to us back into His hands. It is a call to trust God. It is a call to depend on the Holy Spirit. It is a call to find our power, purpose, and provisions for living in Christ. It is a call to REST in the sufficiency of God?s grace. It?s like this story?

A beggar lived near the King’s palace. One day he saw a proclamation posted that invited anyone to come and dine with the King. Yet the beggar looked down at his filthy rags and realized there was no way he could dine with the King. He was just too poorly dressed.
The beggar thought, and went to the servant’s door of the Castle. When the King’s servant answered the door, the beggar blurted out “Do you have any clothes that I can wear? I want to go to the King’s dinner, but I can’t go this way.” The servant smiled and led the beggar into the Castle, to the King’s very chambers.
When the beggar saw the King he was so afraid that he failed to notice the loving compassion in his eyes. In a quavering voice he repeated his request, and the King said “You were wise in coming to see me.” He called the prince and told him, “Take this man and dress him in your finest clothes, get him cleaned up for the great dinner”.
The prince took the beggar off and dressed him in the best the Castle had to offer. When the beggar was fully clothed the prince said, “You can now attend the dinner without fear. And what’s more, these clothes are the best that money can buy. They will last you forever.”
The beggar thanked the prince, but, as he prepared to leave, he began to wonder “What if the prince is wrong? What if these new clothes won’t last forever?”. So the beggar picked up his old rags, put them in a bundle, and carried them with him to the banquet.
The dinner was greater than the beggar had ever imagined, but the beggar couldn’t enjoy himself. He had to hold his old smelly clothes on his lap, and spent so much time watching the old clothes that he missed some of the greater delicacies that were served.
After the dinner the beggar went out, dressed in finery, and continued to carry the rags with him. When people saw the beggar they didn’t see the fine clothes he wore, but they saw the rags that he carried. The beggar became known as “the man with the rags”, and his life was miserable.
Years later the beggar laid dying, and the King came to visit him. The King sadly looked at the bundle of rags, and, as he lay there, the beggar realized that these rags had cost him a lifetime of true royalty. He wept bitterly at his foolishness – and the King wept with him. (source: the message, ?Kingdom Clothing? by D. E. Buffaloe)

As you read the literature of the apostle Paul in the New Testament you?ll notice a pattern in all his writing. First, Paul talks about right beliefs, and then he talks about right behavior. There is this natural progression Paul teaches about his understanding of the Christian life. It starts with an understanding that in Christ we have a new identity and it is because of that new identity that we can live differently. The legalistic mindset of ancient and modern day Pharisees can never understand this aspect of New Testament theology. They are still stuck with the stinking-thinking that has switched the price tags around in such a way that behavior comes before transformation!

?Not so,? says Paul. ?Therefore, in the view of God?s mercy?don?t be conformed to the ways of the world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will know God?s will for how you ought to live?.

In other words, for your lifestyle to change, your thought-life must change. A sign on the office door of a guidance counselor at a high school had these words,

Be careful about what you think for that will determine your feelings.
Be careful about what you feel for that will determine your attitudes.
Be careful about your attitudes for they will determine your actions.
Be careful about your actions for they will determine your character.
Be careful about your character for with it you will build your lifestyle.
(quoted in ?Clothe Yourself with Christ? by William Nieporte)

I?m pretty sure Paul would agree. The ultimate foundation for how we live is based on what we think. If we think the wrong thoughts it will influence our feelings, attitudes, actions, character, and will ultimately determine our lifestyle. That is what Paul is saying in Romans 12:1-2 as he makes the transition from theology to ethics, knowing what we should believe to knowing how we should behave, identity to lifestyle.

With this thought in mind let?s jump forward to Romans 13:8-14 where Paul writes about what the life of a transformed person looks like. If we are thinking the way Paul is writing about, then it will work itself out in some very practical ways in how we live.

Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for he who loves his fellowman has fulfilled the law. The commandments, “Do not commit adultery,” “Do not murder,” “Do not steal,” “Do not covet,” and whatever other commandment there may be, are summed up in this one rule: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” Love does no harm to its neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law. And do this, understanding the present time. The hour has come for you to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. The night is nearly over; the day is almost here. So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. Let us behave decently, as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and debauchery, not in dissension and jealousy. Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the sinful nature.
Romans 13:8-14 (NIV)

One of the pictures that Paul paints is the difference between light and darkness. Have you ever been in total darkness? (Have soundperson kill the lights). This is close but even this is not total darkness. Still, our visibility has decreased significantly. I?m sure some of you have kind of a creepy kind of feeling! (bring lights back up)

The darkness is a scary place to be. Paul tells us that based on our new identity in Christ (in the view of God?s mercy, remember) we should put off the deeds of darkness and put on deeds befitting the daylight. In other words, Paul is saying: ?You are not of the darkness, but the light. Live in the daylight and get rid of the deeds of the night!? Get dressed!

What are those deeds? I like what Paul does. He gives a sample list of what we might call ?big bad deeds? and then shares some ?little bad deeds.? Of course, that would be how we?d rank it ? but it?s not the way God does. As far as God is concerned, ?bad deeds are bad deeds.? That said, Paul knows how we think, so he first mentions things like attending orgies and participation in other forms of debauchery. Then, before anyone in the moral majority can get too smug for living such pious lives, Paul includes some other deadly deeds that seem a little less serious to our way of thinking ? things like sowing dissension and jealousy, and even anger!

Paul teaches, ?You are not the same person you once were, your old self was crucified with Christ. Your old nature was buried with Him in death through baptism. In view of this theological truth, allow your mind to be renewed and transformed so that your lifestyle will reveal the light of God, not the darkness of this world.?

You have been changed ? so live like changed people.

You?ve been transformed ? so you are now free to think and act like transformed people.

That?s just one of the pictures Paul paints.

In the other picture, Paul redeems the law from the Old Covenant and gives it a proper place in the New Covenant. Under the Old Covenant, the law was proscriptive ? declaring how a person must live in order to be acceptable and pleasing to God. In the New Covenant the law is descriptive ? declaring what the lifestyle of a person will be like when they are living out of their new identity in Christ.

The prophet Jeremiah described what would happen to the law under the New Covenant, he said,

“The time is coming,” declares the LORD, “when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah. It will not be like the covenant I made with their forefathers when I took them by the hand to lead them out of Egypt, because they broke my covenant, though I was a husband to them,” declares the LORD. “This is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after that time,” declares the LORD. “I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people. No longer will a man teach his neighbor, or a man his brother, saying, ‘Know the LORD,’ because they will all know me, from the least of them to the greatest,” declares the LORD. “For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more.”
Jeremiah 31:31-34 (NIV)

Jeremiah declares that the law will no longer remain on tablets of stone as an external motivation toward good behavior, but will be etched on our hearts and minds, revealing the internal transformation of the very nature of the individual. The prophet is saying that under the Covenant of Grace, we will be transformed on the inside in such a way that our outside lifestyle can reflect the life of Christ.

Jesus gave His life for us, to put His life in us, to live His life through us!

So what will the life of Christ through us look like? Paul uses a single word in Romans 13 to describe the difference that grace makes in our life. Do you know what that word is?

If you said, ?LOVE!? Give yourself a big pat on the back and say, ?I was paying attention when we were reading the scripture ?

Paul then lists just a few of the commandments ? but he says that this truth applies to all of them. For those of us under grace, transformed by Christ, and living out of our identity in Christ, the bottom-line description of our lifestyle will be that of love!

Get dressed! To clothe ourselves in Christ means to be clothed in love! It will mean that our lifestyle is different. How so? It could be in lots of ways ? but I?m going to conclude by mentioning just one. As transformed people who have clothed ourselves in Christ, we will be able to see possibilities when others seen nothing.

Let?s reflect on this example that shows how Jesus saw other people in the story of the despised tax collector Zaccheus. This guy made his living by cheating everyone (Luke 19:1-10). When Jesus came to town, Zaccheus, being very short, decided to climb a tree for a better look. Jesus noticed him out on a limb. I suppose He wondered what He should do about Zaccheus. Should He try to help him? To change him, perhaps? The townspeople would have thought the possibility of that to be completely outrageous. ?You might as well try to turn stones into bread as to change that man. That?ll never happen,? they would have said.

Therefore, to practically everyone, all the options were quite clear; a) scold Zaccheus publicly for being a scoundrel and sinner; b) ignore Zaccheus because to recognize him in any way gives tacit support to his dishonesty; or, c) laugh at Zaccheus. After all, he is quite a spectacle ? perched up in that old sycamore tree. Nevertheless, Jesus saw another possibility ? one no one else had thought about ? because no one else had the perspective of Jesus.

He asks Zaccheus to come down from the tree and then, invites himself to Zaccheus? house for dinner. The next day the story is flying all over town. ?Did you hear what happened to Zaccheus? He is a changed man. He is not only giving back what he stole. He?s giving back four times more than he stole!

One of the most certain indicators of Jesus? divine nature is not His virgin birth or His ability to perform miracles. The surest sign that He is the Son of God is His ability to see the possibilities no one else sees, to see the resources to which everyone else is blind.

When we clothe ourselves with Christ ? when our thinking is renewed and our minds open to transformation ? when we are living out of our new identity in Christ ? then we will begin to see possibilities when before we saw improbabilities. We will begin to see people?s potential IN CHRIST and that will prompt us to love them the way Jesus loves them!

The beggar thought, and went to the servant’s door of the Castle. When the King’s servant answered the door, the beggar blurted out “Do you have any clothes that I can wear? I want to go to the King’s dinner, but I can’t go this way.” The servant smiled and led the beggar into the Castle, to the King’s very chambers.

When the beggar saw the King he was so afraid that he failed to notice the loving compassion in his eyes. In a quavering voice he repeated his request, and the King said “You were wise in coming to see me.” He called the prince and told him, “Take this man and dress him in your finest clothes, get him cleaned up for the great dinner”.

The prince took the beggar off and dressed him in the best the Castle had to offer. When the beggar was fully clothed the prince said, “You can now attend the dinner without fear. And what’s more, these clothes are the best that money can buy. They will last you forever.”

The beggar thanked the prince, but, as he prepared to leave, he began to wonder “What if the prince is wrong? What if these new clothes won’t last forever?”. So the beggar picked up his old rags, put them in a bundle, and carried them with him to the banquet.

The dinner was greater than the beggar had ever imagined, but the beggar couldn’t enjoy himself. He had to hold his old smelly clothes on his lap, and spent so much time watching the old clothes that he missed some of the greater delicacies that were served.

After the dinner the beggar went out, dressed in finery, and continued to carry the rags with him. When people saw the beggar they didn’t see the fine clothes he wore, but they saw the rags that he carried. The beggar became known as “the man with the rags”, and his life was miserable.

Years later the beggar laid dying, and the King came to visit him. The King sadly looked at the bundle of rags, and, as he lay there, the beggar realized that these rags had cost him a lifetime of true royalty. He wept bitterly at his foolishness – and the King wept with him. (source: the message, “Kingdom Clothing” by D. E. Buffaloe)