As you know a couple weeks back Sue and I enjoyed a week of vacation in Avon, NC—which is a remote little town on one of those barrier islands that make up the outer banks. One day we took a ferry to the next island, Okracoke. It’s near where the Monitor sank and where Blackbeard the Pirate’s nefarious career came to an end. We pulled our car into the assigned spot on the ferry and then we got out and walked around—so as to enjoy the ride.
Sue quickly made friends with a couple women on the trip and while they talked I made my way to the bow—and began scanning the horizon for our destination. We hadn’t gone very far until I could see it. Okracoke Island was dead ahead—but I noticed that instead of steering straight for it, the captain took a very circuitous route—steering right—or starboard for you sea-farers out there and then several minutes later steering left—or port. In other words, he took a zig zag course. I was wondering why when I noticed a couple small fishing boats off to the starboard about 50 yards. The fishermen were standing in the water by their boats—it was only ankle deep.
They were apparently standing on a sandbar and this told me that the waters between the two islands were full of shallow places caused by sandbars and shoals.
So the captain knew what he was doing that day with all his turns to starboard and port. He knew where the deep water was. We NEEDED His direction in order to complete our voyage to Okracoke safely. Without his knowledge—I mean, if I had been at the wheel we would have surely run aground.
I thought of our zig zag voyage as I prepared this year’s vision sermon because churches NEED direction as well. We need a “Captain” to steer us in the right direction in order for us to avoid the “sandbars” of this world—things that will impede our progress. We need someone at the helm so we can follow the course we need to follow.
And throughout His Word—the Bible—our “Captain” promises to give us this needed guidance. For example in Isaiah 30:21 God says, “Whether you [should] turn to the right or to the left—[starboard or port] your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, ‘This is the way; walk in it”.”
Well, for several months I’ve been asking our “Captain” for guidance as to the course we should take as a church—and this Vision Sunday I want to share what I believe is God’s answer when it comes to the “turns” we need to make in the coming year. Looking back at our prior course heading, I would remind you that for the past two years God led us to develop our 2nd nature of service. God guided us to discipline ourselves so that we could learn to respond to human need as Jesus would—to the point that this kind of response became 2nd nature for us. Well in my prayers God has helped me to see that a natural next step from 2nd NATURE Christianity would be what I’m calling “2nd MILE Christianity”—going beyond what is required or expected—not just in ministry—not just in our response to human need—but in all of five of our purposes as a church. In other words, I believe God is calling us out of the shallows—into “deep water” when it comes to our worship, our evangelistic efforts, our fellowship, our discipleship, AND our ministry to others. To help get us “sailing” in that direction I’ve taken this year’s Vision Sunday text from Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount so turn in your Bibles to Matthew 5. Follow along as I read verses 38-48.
38 – “You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.’
39 – But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also.
40 – And if someone wants to sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well.
41 – If someone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles.
42 – Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you.
43 – You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’
44 – But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,
45 – that you may be sons of your Father in Heaven. He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.
46 – If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that?
47 – And if you greet only your brothers, what are you doing more than others? Do not even the pagans do that?
48 – Be perfect, therefore as your Heavenly Father is perfect.”
Now of course the whole world is familiar with this admonition to “go the second mile.” These words have become almost a cliché—but what do they really mean? What was Jesus saying here? To answer that question we need to pause and remind ourselves of the BACKGROUND—the culture and situation in which Jesus delivered this sermon.
Remember, at that time in Jewish history, Israel was an occupied country. Rome enforced its rule over the Jews with garrisons of soldiers stationed throughout the country. And Roman law said that these occupying troops were permitted to force any Jewish citizen to do their bidding. You may remember that this is what happened to Simon of Cyrene, when he was compelled by Roman soldiers to bear the Cross of Jesus.
Now, as soldiers traveled through the land to various duty assignments they carried all their belongings with them. And as you can see in this picture, it was a big pack. With all the pots and pans and equipment it was bulky and heavy. To ease the load there was a specific provision of this law that said soldiers could conscript someone to carry their pack for one mile. At that point the soldier would either have to carry it himself or recruit another person to take it the next mile. In short, law OBLIGATED the Jews to this FIRST mile. Well, they hated the Romans and they hated this law and when they were forced to obey they did so with bitterness and obvious resentment. When that mile was done they PLOPPED the pack down with disgust and went on their way. So Jesus’ statement here was quite revolutionary because He said that if you were compelled at spear point to carry the pack one mile—happily do so and then go one MORE—-two miles!
Over the years I have felt that this was our Lord’s way of teaching you and me that as we go down the road of life we are look at the tasks we are given—even the unfair ones—as opportunities to serve others cheerfully by reflecting the love of Christ in our 2nd nature attitudes.
I mean, “Second mile things” are above and beyond the call of duty. They should be seen as opportunities to put forth some extra effort to show God’s love for people. And certainly that is PART of what Jesus was teaching here. But there is more “guidance advice” in these verses than this. There are deeper truths here. So this morning I want us to look closely at this familiar text. I want us to dig deep to help prepare us for the journey we are about to take as a church down the roads of 2015.
(1) Let’s begin by looking at that FIRST MILE of the journey because of course it HAS to come first.
And—remember, the first mile was REQUIRED. Jews were OBLIGATED to walk it so they received no special honor or attention by doing so. I mean, no one would notice because everybody had to do this. I’m sure everyone listening to Jesus on that mountainside had walked their fair share of first miles for Roman soldiers. Well, Jesus’ guidance here implies we HAVE to do this—we HAVE to walk the first obligatory mile BEFORE we think of walking the 2nd. This may seem a bit too obvious but stay with me—because you see, it can be very tempting for us to leapfrog the first mile of obligation to get to the second mile of opportunity. I mean, it is attractive for us to get to the extraordinary before we’ve been faithful in the ordinary.
Have you ever met people who would love to be involved in SPECTACULAR areas of ministry—the popular well-known events that yield high glory? I’m talking about the kind of person who loves the “microphone and spotlight” ministry stuff but is not interested in the unknown, ordinary behind the scene things stuff. They want to do the “2nd Mile” because it is noticed but not the “1st mile” which often is not. Have you ever known anyone like that? Perhaps you’ve seen them in the mirror from time to time.
I remember years ago when I was a youth pastor I was directing our youth choir in our annual musical. One day at practice we were working on the choreography for one of the songs. There were dance movements, etc. — that kind of thing. After we blocked out everyone’s part and went through it a couple times we took a break and as we did two of the girls in the choir came to me. They said they didn’t like where they were standing in the song. I asked why and they said it was because they were in the back row and no one would be able to see them. They wanted a front row part in the musical. They wanted the spotlight. I laughed until I realized they were not joking.
Well, that’s the way many of us are at times. We want to do things where we will be NOTICED—and 2nd mile stuff tends to be noticed. Listen, in a church’s ministry first mile things may be out of the spotlight but they are vital things—necessary things—foundational things. In fact, if the “first mile things” don’t get done, the second mile things won’t either—and we’ve seen that over and over again here at Redland. I mean, we plan wonderful outreach events for our community—things that draw a lot of attention and support and even “glory”—like the BLOCK ON THE ROC party. But without people who are willing to do the “first mile” ministry of things like watching the nursery for workers, or putting up posters around town—-that event wouldn’t happen. Upward is wonderful—the games are exciting and it’s reaching a lot of unchurched families—but it wouldn’t happen without people working the concession stand at games or helping with the evaluations. Sunday School is amazing here at Redland. We have some VERY gifted teachers in our adult classes. Everyone likes to sit under their teaching and enjoy the fellowship of friends. But if people aren’t willing to do the first mile ministry of teaching our preschoolers or children Adult SS won’t happen. If people aren’t willing to leave those comfortable classes and help start new ones our Sunday School won’t grow. We need people to help with baptism—working literally behind the scenes to help candidates find a robe and then launder it after the service. Without them it would be very hard to baptize people.
Do you get my point? First mile things are indeed essential things and in the years to come we need to remember that. We have to be willing to walk the first mile.
You know, one of our biggest needs in the coming year is a VERY important first mile ministry. We need people to agree to head up the work of our ushers at both services. Warren Hosier, who I think is the world’s greatest head usher, has done this for years but he has some health issues that he struggles with and he’s been asking me for some time now to find him help—someone to take the helm in this first mile ministry for him. I gotta say, I’ve used the “pastor bullet” to try and enlist people for this job but I’ve not had much success and that has to change! We need ushers to do the important first mile ministry of welcoming people, taking the offering etc.—so the nominating committee asks you to serve in this way, say yes, realizing that ushering may be first mile stuff—it may be kind of out of the spotlight in that you don’t get a lot of praise for it—but it’s vital—if the church is to function.
And while I’m on the subject of being out of the spotlight let me just say that one great proof of true, Christlike second nature servanthood is the kind of ANONYMITY that usually comes with first mile things. You see, maturing believers—believers who are making progress toward Christlikeness—these kind of people are willing to serve WITHOUT fame or recognition. They have learned that the only Being we should care about when it comes to noticing our ministry is God Himself. They serve for an audience of One. Ruth Calkin puts it well in her old poem titled, “I WONDER.” I shared it with my Bible Study a couple weeks back. It goes like this:
You know Lord, how I serve You with great emotional fervor in the Limelight.
You know how eagerly I speak for You at a women’s club.
You know how I effervesce when I promote a fellowship group.
You know my genuine enthusiasm at a Bible study.
But how would I react,
I WONDER…
If You pointed to a basin of water
And asked me to wash the calloused feet
Of a bent and wrinkled old woman
Day after day…
Month after month…
In a room where NOBODY SAW and NOBODY KNEW.”
Let those final words “NOBODY SAW—NOBODY KNEW” sink in because this is part of what Jesus was talking about when He commanded us to go the FIRST mile. We are to be willing to serve even if no one but God notices—because when we serve others we are serving Christ Himself. So we must not skip the “first mile things” of life.
Jesus spotlighted this truth when He painted a verbal picture of the judgment day in Matthew 25. Remember? He said that when all nations stand before Him, He will divide them into two groups as a Shepherd divides His sheep from His goats. The “sheep” will end up on His right hand and the “goats” on His left. Then He will commend and reward the sheep according to their deeds. And the deeds He commends are what I think of as “first mile deeds” because they are ordinary, menial things like feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, visiting the sick, befriending the lonely, and encouraging those who are discouraged. In Jesus’ story the “Goats” are amazed at this. They say–and I paraphrase here, “When did we fail to do this? We did big things! Everybody knows we did. Everyone noticed us!” But Jesus says, “You failed because you took a short cut around the first mile opportunities of ministering to the LEAST.” And then Jesus rewards the sheep for their faithfulness in walking the first mile and says that, “whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, YOU DID FOR ME. No one else may see but I NOTICE that kind of thing.”
Martin of Tours was a Roman Soldier and a Christian. One cold winter day, as he was entering a city, an old beggar stopped him and asked him for alms. Martin had no money, but the beggar was nearly naked. He was blue and shivering with cold. So Martin gave him what he had. He took off his soldier’s cloak, worn and frayed as it was. He cut it in two and gave half of it to the beggar. That night he had a dream. In it he saw the heavenly places and all the angels and Jesus in their midst. He saw Jesus wearing half of a Roman soldier’s cloak. One of the angels said to him, “Master, why are You wearing that battered old cloak? Who gave it to You?” And Jesus answered softly, “My servant Martin gave it to Me.”
So we must not avoid the first mile of obligation because first mile things are foundational. They are important—necessary. Plus in bypassing these little things that seem “least” —things that are out of the spotlight—we are passing by an opportunity to serve Jesus Christ Himself. And that is a course that no Christian should miss.
Does this first point hit home for you? Do you lean more toward the high-glamour second mile things? Do you tend to skip the first mile kind of stuff? As we enter a new year we must not forget the importance of the first mile. I mean, there’s no doubt that Jesus called us to walk the second mile. We are called to go BEYOND obligation—but He also called us to travel the first mile so, check up on yourself. Does the record of your life’s journey show that you have been yielding to the temptation to leapfrog the first mile of ordinary things to get to the second mile of extraordinary? Remember—first mile things have to come first.
(2) Now let’s move on and talk about the 2nd mile stuff. I have two questions I want us to consider.
(a) First, Why? Why do we walk the second mile? Why go beyond obligation?
Well, the short answer is that as Christians we do this FOR Jesus. We go beyond obligatory things—we walk the 2nd mile for our Savior. In other words we do this for Jesus because remember that He died for us—He went the second mile when He didn’t HAVE to and we didn’t DESERVE it. While we were yet sinners Christ died for us—so we die to self and go beyond what is expected—go beyond the law—and walk the 2nd mile.
One thing I hope we have learned thus far in our study of the Ten Commandments is that we can’t obey them perfectly. We ALL fall short—ALL of the time.
- We may not commit murder but we get so angry with someone that we think murderous thoughts.
- We may not commit adultery but we entertain lust in our minds.
- We may say we don’t care who notices what we do for God—but truth told we all want to be noticed. We all COVET fame. We want to be praised for our noble actions.
This failure to obey the Ten Commandments shows us our NEED for Jesus’ sacrifice and when we realize that—we go beyond embracing the LAW—to embracing the SPIRIT of the law. I mean, when we experience Jesus’ grace and love, we are compelled to sacrifice ourselves and go beyond what is expected. As Paul puts it in 2nd Corinthians 5:14-15, “For Christ’s love compels us, since we have reached this conclusion: If One died for all, then all died. And He died for all so that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for the One Who died for them and was raised.” So you see, understanding the spirit of God’s commands drives us to 2nd mile living as Christ-followers. As we let Jesus change us on the inside—we begin to act like Jesus on the outside. We embrace 2nd mile Christianity as a lifestyle.
As you know we just went through what is called the mid-term elections—and in it the Republican Party did very well. It’s all over the news. They made gains in the House of Representatives where they already had the majority. They reclaimed the majority in the Senate—and even won some surprising gubernatorial races like here in Maryland. I, for one, was shocked to see that Hogan won. And there has been a lot of REPUBLICAN REJOICING since last Tuesday. People on the right tell reporters, “Now things will change! We’ll pass some good LAWS and now, things will get better!”
Well, I hate to be a downer but I don’t believe that—and I’m a conservative voter. You see I have learned that it doesn’t matter which political party is in control—not really. I mean, I can remember times when the democrats controlled both the House and the Senate, had a president in the White house, and passed a bunch of laws—and things didn’t get better. I can remember when the Republicans had the same level of “total control” in D.C. and THEY passed a bunch of laws but things didn’t get better—not really. This is because, as we have learned in our Ten Commandment study, LAW doesn’t change hearts and you have to change hearts to change people. I mean, you can enact all the laws you want and this world won’t become a better place because to make the WORLD better you have to make PEOPLE better. The only Being Who can change hearts—change people—is Jesus. Because of His sacrifice our hearts can be cleansed of sin—we can be reborn. So the people who make things better are not Republicans or Democrats—but rather CHRISTIANS—people who have been changed from within and who are driven to second mile lifestyles because of their experience of the grace of God.
Do you remember how Tony Evans puts it? He calls it the “domino effect of Godliness” and says, “If you want a better world composed of better nations, inhabited by better states, filled with better counties, made up of better cities comprised of better neighborhoods, illumined by better churched, populated with better families, then you have to start by becoming a better person.” And ONLY JESUS makes people better.
So why do we walk the second mile? We do it FOR JESUS! This leads to my SECOND question:
(b) HOW do we walk the 2nd mile?
This is an important question because the only way to walk FOR Jesus is to walk WITH Him. The only way to take the 2nd mile is with His empowering help. I mean, you and I can’t live a 2nd mile life consistently on our own strength. For example—it is enjoyable to do 2nd mile stuff for people—if they respond positively. It can be greatly rewarding to do acts of “above and beyond the call” kindness—for people who appreciate them. As I said earlier, we all like that kind of affirmation. But, in His instruction to go the second mile, Jesus didn’t use examples of APPRECIATED acts of unusual kindness.
Look with me at the context of this command. Just a couple of verses prior to His statement about going the 2nd mile, Jesus said: “Do not resist one who is evil. But if any one strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also.” Lets’ make sure we understand what Jesus is saying here. Suppose a right-handed man is standing in front of another man, and suppose he wants to slap the other man on the right cheek. How would he do this? Well, unless he goes through the most complicated contortions, and unless he empties the blow of all force, he can only hit the other man’s right cheek in one way—-WITH THE BACK OF HIS HAND.
Now according to Jewish Rabbinic law, to hit a man with the back of the hand was twice as insulting as to hit him with the FLAT of the hand. This is where we get the concept of a “back-handed compliment” and we’re very good at it—very good at GIVING as good as we GOT when it comes to the insults of others.
A good example of this is Winston Churchill. It’s reported that on one occasion, Bessie Braddock, known for fighting for the poor in Great Britain—it’s reported that Ms. Braddock found the great statesman obviously inebriated in a hotel elevator. With cutting disgust she snipped, “Sir Winston, you are drunk!” to which he replied, “M’lady, I may be drunk but you are ugly and tomorrow I will be sober but you still will be ugly.”
Well, unfortunately, we are all like Sir Winston. We take pride in making one person’s sarcastic jab look mild compared to our back-of-the-hand retorts. We cheer for people with black-eyes who say, “If you think I look beat up, you should see the other guy!” Jesus is saying, “Don’t do this. Don’t respond in kind. Don’t retaliate or even resent the evil attacks of others. Instead go against the flow, stand out by turning the other cheek.” My point is that when Jesus told us to walk the second mile He was talking about a Christian person facing people who DON’T like him, who DON’T appreciate what he does. He’s talking about our response to EVIL people. Remember, later in this section of Scripture, Jesus said, “Love your ENEMIES and pray for those who PERSECUTE you.” Well, I have yet to find a person who—on His own strength—can keep up that kind of Christian response for very long. As I said, it’s easy to go the second mile when it’s appreciated, but not when it’s humiliating. Jesus said loving those that love you is nothing to brag about for: “…Even the pagans and tax collectors do this much.” (Matthew 5:46).
So, in this text, our Lord is talking to those of us who have a high opinion of our own ability to live an extraordinary moral life. He is hinting that we can be unrealistically optimistic about our ability to travel the second mile. Jesus is proclaiming the absolute requirement of God’s presence and power for individuals or churches who strive to go above and beyond the call. Remember? He said that, “IF a man remains in Me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from Me you can do nothing.” John 15:3-5
When we learn to listen to our Lord’s still, small voice—-when we learn to OBEY it and rely on His indwelling strength—only then can we consistently do second mile kinds of things. And when we do—people around us see not US—but Jesus Himself. Mel Blackaby writes, “The difference between the first mile and the second mile is a million miles. On the first mile you can stand on your own. You see what YOU could accomplish but nothing more. The second mile looks much different. You’re no longer alone but you can take your stand WITH Christ. You demonstrate that you’re more than a good person; you’re a child of God. As a result people see something different in you—the love of God. The difference is clear: The world sees US on the first mile; they see Christ on the second.”
Watchman Nee tells about a Chinese Christian who owned a rice paddy next to one owned by a communist man. The Christian irrigated his paddy by pumping water out of a canal, using one of those leg-operated pumps that make the user appear to be seated on a bicycle. Every day, after the Christian had pumped enough water to fill his field, the communist would come out, remove some boards that kept the water in the Christians’ field and let all the water flow down into his own field. That way, he didn’t have to pump. This continued day after day. Finally the Christian prayed, “Lord, if this keeps up, I’m going to lose all my rice, maybe even my field. I’ve got a family to care for. What can I do?” In answer to his request, the Lord put a thought in his mind. So with the Lord’s help the next morning he arose much earlier, in the predawn hours of darkness, and started pumping water in to the field of his communist neighbor. Then he replaced the boards and pumped water into his own rice paddy. In a few weeks both fields of rice were doing well, and the communist neighbor was converted to faith in Jesus.
The demand of God is that Christians travel two miles. The reality of human nature is that we ourselves cannot accomplish this. Our power and compassion and patience is not sufficient. You can’t love people who hate you—who make it their desire to hurt you unless you have as a power source Jesus Christ Who Himself was “…despised and rejected…oppressed and afflicted, yet He did not open His mouth.”
So as we chart our course for this next year remember Jesus’ advice.
(1) Don’t skip the first mile. Don’t avoid those ordinary, unseen things. They are vital—even though they are usually not all that glorious. And remember that when we minister to people in these “unseen” ways Scripture says we are ministering to Jesus Himself! Redland needs first-milers! Why not covenant with God right now to be one of them? Ask God to show you some ministry that needs your help. Perhaps it is something that is so far behind the scenes that when you do it only He will notice.
(2) And then walk the second mile—not only when it is appreciated, but when it’s humiliating, not only for people whom you love but for people you have a hard time loving. Accept Jesus’ challenge to do these types of ministry to the unlovable because they require us to team up with Him as we draw on His compassion and strength. And I have to point out it’s actually EASIER to do second mile things when we rely on Jesus’ power. I mean, it’s not about being busier—it’s about relying on Him more. Jesus promises that when we join Him in His work—when we take HIS YOKE and put it around our necks—we will find “rest for our souls.”
Now, on Vision Sundays I usually give a long sermon about what we’re going to do in the coming year—and that’s good—but many times I feel like when I do this I’m just giving a long series of announcements. So this year my hope has been to do more INPSIRING than ANNOUNCING. Our 2nd mile vision will unfold further as we go along—and I pray you have been inspired to join me in it. Don’t get me wrong. I know SOME of the things I feel led for us to do—but we’ll of course be open to other things as the year goes by.
You’ll notice that we DO have a commitment card inserted in your bulletin and I’d like you to take a few moments to pray and then fill it out. You’ve heard about our plans for 2nd mile evangelism and see other plans on the card. For example, I’ll be preaching on 2nd mile leadership because we need more leaders here. Many of our leaders are aging—and we need the next generation to take over. We’ll also be working on strengthening our 2nd mile of fellowship. That’s a need I sense in our body. But take a few moments to fill out your card. In a moment we’ll sing a song of commitment and as is our custom I’ll ask you to leave your seats and put your completed card in one of the boxes on the mile 2 marker poles. Let’s go now into a time of silence and prayer to let you fill out your card. In a moment I’ll close our time of prayer and then we’ll sing our hymn of decision.