Pastor Cal Lord's Recent Sermons
"Paving A Road With No Curves
January 11, 2004 Luke 3:1-6
I hate road construction. It always seems to take too long and proves to be too inconvenient. I’m
always in a hurry to get from one place to another and can never afford the delays that
accompany the work. The truth is that I usually try to avoid the construction and find another
way to get where I am going.
This morning I want to talk about construction, but not necessarily road construction. I want to
talk about the building of a life and what it really takes to get things flowing freely. I want to talk
to you about the hope we have in Christ as the master builder. And then I want to enlist you in
paving the road for others to find Christ. Ways. To do that I want to talk about the John the
Baptist and his message.
There is a story told about a man named Johnny and his wife. One day they went to the funeral
of his cousin Billy at a little country that they admired. But as the service began they were
shocked. The preacher shouted and screamed at them and all the other mourners: “It’s too late
for Billy. He might have wanted to believe. He might have wanted to accept Jesus. But he can’t
now. It’s too late for Billy.” Johnny looked over at his wife and mumbled, “This is terrible. How
can this be of comfort to anyone?”
The preacher went on: “It may be too late for Billy, but it’s not too late for you. If you get right
with God, if you accept Jesus, if you get your fanny back in church, you still have time! Now is
the time. Do it!”
On the drive home Johnny continued to complain to his wife. “That was one of the most
insensitive, manipulative, and inappropriate funeral sermons I have ever heard. Who would ever
want to go to that church? What do you think?”
Choosing her words carefully, she said. “Yes, it was insensitive, manipulative, and inappropriate.
But worst of all…it was true!”
It is true that sometimes “the truth” comes dressed in rough clothing. And that was the nature of
John the Baptist’s approach.
When I read the brief gospel summaries of his messages, I often wonder why people went to
hear him. Were they masochists looking for abuse. Or my more cynical side suggests that maybe
he was so popular because the people went to hear him rant and rave about the sins of their
neighbors? One way or another, the crowds flocked to him. There was something about his
message that spoke to their situations. He told it like it was. When he preached, they saw
themselves, their disappointments, their troubles and they knew he was telling the truth.
But they didn’t just hear condemnation in his message. You see, he preached a message of
judgment; but in the judgement was an opportunity! Opportunity was wrapped up in one word:
“repent.”
“Repent,” he cried, “for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” With the word “repent”, John was
telling the people that they didn’t have to remain like they were. He told them they didn’t have to
be held captive by failure, by the past, by their inadequacies.
We can repent. We can get rid of the past. We can start over.
Wouldn’t you hate to live in a world where there was no chance to repent? In a sense, we could
define hell as a place where there is no possibility of repentance. There’s no way out, no
opportunity to get rid of the garbage of life, no chance to start again.
Let’s face it, ‘Repent’ can be one of the most beautiful words in the human language. It pays us
quite a compliment, because it says that we can do something about the road we have taken.
If our road is crooked, it can be made straight. If we are on the wrong track, we can turn
around, or get on another train. We may not be able to change what we’ve already done, and we
may not be able to fully escape the consequences of our past choices… but we don’t have to
continue down the same destructive road. We can repent, and start again.
That’s why people were drawn to John the Baptist. They felt hope when they heard him preach.
He spoke harsh, direct words, but he led them to the door of hope. “You can repent,” he
basically said. “There is a way out of the dilemma you’re in.” And God can wrap his loving arms
around you again. That is good news. Lives were changed when people heard John’s message.
And that is our message to tell today. We have the power to make crooked roads straight.
Now paving a new road isn’t easy. John says there is a price to pay for straightening out the
road you’re walking down. We need to do more than simply say, “I’m sorry.” We are going to
have to pay a price in time, energy and self-sacrifice. Road construction isn’t easy.
You go up Harland Road and you know what I’m talking about. When the men are working
there, you face long delays. When they are taking a break, you have to ride up and down a
bumpy road. When you are on that road your shocks take a beating. But we look ahead and
know that when they are done, there will be smooth sailing.
I think about the road in front of the church here. When they were talking about the construction
back in the late 1970’s and early 1980’s, I don’t think there were too many people who wanted
anything to change. The West side was a nice rural neighborhood, traffic was light and nobody
really noticed what was going on up here. But then everything was uprooted. Lawns were cut
back, sidewalks torn up, asphalt turned over and slowly over a period of a couple of years, with
lots of delays and so much inconvenience, the country road became a highway.
The West Side has changed and the long time residents think it is for the worse. But I have to tell
you that as a church we have been blessed by it. Nobody could have predicted the new visibility
that we have now. People ride by and see the church. I can’t tell you how many people started
coming here because they made their way down that new highway and saw us for the first time.
That is Harry Eisan’s story. Talk to Fred and Gwyn Green or Sean and Jackie Jones. They’ll tell
you the church sort of jumped out at them. The truth is that the new road brought us many
blessings. But we paid the price for it to happen.
That is what John says. If there is sin in our lives, it must be removed. We must make a
complete U-turn. We have to straighten things out. John the Baptist got down to specifics.
When people asked, “What shall we do,” John answered…
…If you have two coats, give one to someone who has none…
…The same, should be done with your food…
When the tax collectors asked what course they should follow, John answered: “Collect no more
than is appointed you.” The secret of wealth for those first-century tax collectors was in
cheating; and John quickly set them straight.
To the soldiers, John gave a two-pronged answer: “Do not extort money from anyone by threats
or false accusation, and be satisfied with your wages.” He told them to live out their faith where
they were, by being honorable and godly in their current occupations. He didn’t tell them it was
going to be easy, but just the right thing to do.
Some people might ask why John was so up front about things. What was in it for him? The
truth is that John knew his place. He was called to be the voice in the wilderness to prepare the
way.
He knew he wasn’t building a kingdom for himself, but he was called to prepare the way for
another.
Someone has said that no one can estimate how much good could be done in our world if no one
cared who got the credit. And John gives us a good example of how it should be within our
church! We are not in competition! For you see, once we have begun to pave straight roads in
our own lives, we need to begin leading others to Christ so he can do the same for them.
John the Baptist had a goal higher than himself. Do we?
We are not to point to ourselves…
…but by our actions…
…by our smiles…
…by our witness…
…by our words…
…we are to point out to others—“Look, the Lamb of God!”
“Follow Him and He will make your crooked road straight!”
In John chapter 3, John likened himself to being like the best man of Jesus—the bridegroom. His
disciples were dismayed. “Rabbi,” they said to John, “that man…the one you testified about—
well, he is baptizing, and everyone is going to him.”
And this made John glad, very glad! Not envious, but glad.
And this should be our reaction should we ever be given the great privilege of seeing someone
turn to Christ!
John declared: “He must become greater; I must become less.”
This is the mindset that all of us must have if we are going to be disciples of Jesus Christ who
prepare the way for Christ to be born into the hearts of the people of the world.
And this is what we are called to do! Every single one of us! And John the Baptist is a man who
is to be an example to us all.
Now it is our turn. We know that God is constantly looking for people like John the Baptist, who
will gladly pave the way for God’s grand purposes. And we know, too, that there is much work
yet to be done…the harvest is ripe, but the workers are few.
These are great days to be alive. I know a lot of people talk about how bad the world is. They
complain about the lack of respect for religion and faith. They talk about the lack of morals.
All this just goes to show that we are needed; you and I are needed. Our times need a new
introduction to the Lord Jesus Christ, and you and I are favorably situated to be the introducers,
the way-preparers.
We will not be dressed like John the Baptist, But we can commit ourselves to the same Lord, and
with the same greatness of purpose, paving a road with no curves, that leads straight to Christ
and eternal life. Let us commit ourselves, like John, to prepare the way of the Lord.
January 11, 2004 Luke 3:1-6
I hate road construction. It always seems to take too long and proves to be too inconvenient. I’m
always in a hurry to get from one place to another and can never afford the delays that
accompany the work. The truth is that I usually try to avoid the construction and find another
way to get where I am going.
This morning I want to talk about construction, but not necessarily road construction. I want to
talk about the building of a life and what it really takes to get things flowing freely. I want to talk
to you about the hope we have in Christ as the master builder. And then I want to enlist you in
paving the road for others to find Christ. Ways. To do that I want to talk about the John the
Baptist and his message.
There is a story told about a man named Johnny and his wife. One day they went to the funeral
of his cousin Billy at a little country that they admired. But as the service began they were
shocked. The preacher shouted and screamed at them and all the other mourners: “It’s too late
for Billy. He might have wanted to believe. He might have wanted to accept Jesus. But he can’t
now. It’s too late for Billy.” Johnny looked over at his wife and mumbled, “This is terrible. How
can this be of comfort to anyone?”
The preacher went on: “It may be too late for Billy, but it’s not too late for you. If you get right
with God, if you accept Jesus, if you get your fanny back in church, you still have time! Now is
the time. Do it!”
On the drive home Johnny continued to complain to his wife. “That was one of the most
insensitive, manipulative, and inappropriate funeral sermons I have ever heard. Who would ever
want to go to that church? What do you think?”
Choosing her words carefully, she said. “Yes, it was insensitive, manipulative, and inappropriate.
But worst of all…it was true!”
It is true that sometimes “the truth” comes dressed in rough clothing. And that was the nature of
John the Baptist’s approach.
When I read the brief gospel summaries of his messages, I often wonder why people went to
hear him. Were they masochists looking for abuse. Or my more cynical side suggests that maybe
he was so popular because the people went to hear him rant and rave about the sins of their
neighbors? One way or another, the crowds flocked to him. There was something about his
message that spoke to their situations. He told it like it was. When he preached, they saw
themselves, their disappointments, their troubles and they knew he was telling the truth.
But they didn’t just hear condemnation in his message. You see, he preached a message of
judgment; but in the judgement was an opportunity! Opportunity was wrapped up in one word:
“repent.”
“Repent,” he cried, “for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” With the word “repent”, John was
telling the people that they didn’t have to remain like they were. He told them they didn’t have to
be held captive by failure, by the past, by their inadequacies.
We can repent. We can get rid of the past. We can start over.
Wouldn’t you hate to live in a world where there was no chance to repent? In a sense, we could
define hell as a place where there is no possibility of repentance. There’s no way out, no
opportunity to get rid of the garbage of life, no chance to start again.
Let’s face it, ‘Repent’ can be one of the most beautiful words in the human language. It pays us
quite a compliment, because it says that we can do something about the road we have taken.
If our road is crooked, it can be made straight. If we are on the wrong track, we can turn
around, or get on another train. We may not be able to change what we’ve already done, and we
may not be able to fully escape the consequences of our past choices… but we don’t have to
continue down the same destructive road. We can repent, and start again.
That’s why people were drawn to John the Baptist. They felt hope when they heard him preach.
He spoke harsh, direct words, but he led them to the door of hope. “You can repent,” he
basically said. “There is a way out of the dilemma you’re in.” And God can wrap his loving arms
around you again. That is good news. Lives were changed when people heard John’s message.
And that is our message to tell today. We have the power to make crooked roads straight.
Now paving a new road isn’t easy. John says there is a price to pay for straightening out the
road you’re walking down. We need to do more than simply say, “I’m sorry.” We are going to
have to pay a price in time, energy and self-sacrifice. Road construction isn’t easy.
You go up Harland Road and you know what I’m talking about. When the men are working
there, you face long delays. When they are taking a break, you have to ride up and down a
bumpy road. When you are on that road your shocks take a beating. But we look ahead and
know that when they are done, there will be smooth sailing.
I think about the road in front of the church here. When they were talking about the construction
back in the late 1970’s and early 1980’s, I don’t think there were too many people who wanted
anything to change. The West side was a nice rural neighborhood, traffic was light and nobody
really noticed what was going on up here. But then everything was uprooted. Lawns were cut
back, sidewalks torn up, asphalt turned over and slowly over a period of a couple of years, with
lots of delays and so much inconvenience, the country road became a highway.
The West Side has changed and the long time residents think it is for the worse. But I have to tell
you that as a church we have been blessed by it. Nobody could have predicted the new visibility
that we have now. People ride by and see the church. I can’t tell you how many people started
coming here because they made their way down that new highway and saw us for the first time.
That is Harry Eisan’s story. Talk to Fred and Gwyn Green or Sean and Jackie Jones. They’ll tell
you the church sort of jumped out at them. The truth is that the new road brought us many
blessings. But we paid the price for it to happen.
That is what John says. If there is sin in our lives, it must be removed. We must make a
complete U-turn. We have to straighten things out. John the Baptist got down to specifics.
When people asked, “What shall we do,” John answered…
…If you have two coats, give one to someone who has none…
…The same, should be done with your food…
When the tax collectors asked what course they should follow, John answered: “Collect no more
than is appointed you.” The secret of wealth for those first-century tax collectors was in
cheating; and John quickly set them straight.
To the soldiers, John gave a two-pronged answer: “Do not extort money from anyone by threats
or false accusation, and be satisfied with your wages.” He told them to live out their faith where
they were, by being honorable and godly in their current occupations. He didn’t tell them it was
going to be easy, but just the right thing to do.
Some people might ask why John was so up front about things. What was in it for him? The
truth is that John knew his place. He was called to be the voice in the wilderness to prepare the
way.
He knew he wasn’t building a kingdom for himself, but he was called to prepare the way for
another.
Someone has said that no one can estimate how much good could be done in our world if no one
cared who got the credit. And John gives us a good example of how it should be within our
church! We are not in competition! For you see, once we have begun to pave straight roads in
our own lives, we need to begin leading others to Christ so he can do the same for them.
John the Baptist had a goal higher than himself. Do we?
We are not to point to ourselves…
…but by our actions…
…by our smiles…
…by our witness…
…by our words…
…we are to point out to others—“Look, the Lamb of God!”
“Follow Him and He will make your crooked road straight!”
In John chapter 3, John likened himself to being like the best man of Jesus—the bridegroom. His
disciples were dismayed. “Rabbi,” they said to John, “that man…the one you testified about—
well, he is baptizing, and everyone is going to him.”
And this made John glad, very glad! Not envious, but glad.
And this should be our reaction should we ever be given the great privilege of seeing someone
turn to Christ!
John declared: “He must become greater; I must become less.”
This is the mindset that all of us must have if we are going to be disciples of Jesus Christ who
prepare the way for Christ to be born into the hearts of the people of the world.
And this is what we are called to do! Every single one of us! And John the Baptist is a man who
is to be an example to us all.
Now it is our turn. We know that God is constantly looking for people like John the Baptist, who
will gladly pave the way for God’s grand purposes. And we know, too, that there is much work
yet to be done…the harvest is ripe, but the workers are few.
These are great days to be alive. I know a lot of people talk about how bad the world is. They
complain about the lack of respect for religion and faith. They talk about the lack of morals.
All this just goes to show that we are needed; you and I are needed. Our times need a new
introduction to the Lord Jesus Christ, and you and I are favorably situated to be the introducers,
the way-preparers.
We will not be dressed like John the Baptist, But we can commit ourselves to the same Lord, and
with the same greatness of purpose, paving a road with no curves, that leads straight to Christ
and eternal life. Let us commit ourselves, like John, to prepare the way of the Lord.
| Welcome to the First Baptist Church of Norwich 239 West Main Street Norwich, Connecticut Phone: 860-889-0369 |
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