Eric Ludy Sermon Podcast: Church at Ellerslie

The Christian, whether we choose to accept it or not, has officially become a fool in the eyes of the modern world. To believe in an unseen God is considered anti-intellectual to a growing percentage of the population. And for those in the Jesus-believing camp that are still desiring to appear hip and cool to the world’s eyes, this knock against them, could prove a very real stumbling block to their souls. But, it’s important to note that this tension has always been present in and throughout all of Christian history. If you are looking to be cool, your Christianity will suffer. If you are willing to appear the fool, your Christianity can thrive.

The Christian life is an athletic event. Few understand this and therefore balk at the difficulties associated with the training and the readying of the athlete. When Christianity is viewed through the proper lens, rigor and challenge is expected. And when a Christian vigorously trains for carrying their cross the way a runner may train for running the marathon in the Olympics—something special takes place on earth.

Many Christians today believe in Jesus Christ as their Lord, their Master, their King, and their preeminent Authority. But practically speaking, a lot of “believers” today are still spiritually submitting their hearts to other lords, masters, kings, and authorities. And, in so doing, nullifying the practical triumph of their grand redemption. Jesus Christ isn’t just intended to be the Head of the Church in theory, but in actuality. And when He is, everything begins to work and Christianity regains its ancient swagger.

As the old phrase goes, “Necessity is the mother of invention.” And it’s true. The greatest technological advancements usually coincide with the greatest world crises. How often the same thing appears true in our own lives. When things are easy, we tend to settle for a lower quality spiritual luster. But, when things amp up in difficulty, we often get intimate with our God, and quick. There is a principle at work in all of this. Desperation often moves us to needed action. But, the question of this message is, “But, must we reach our extremity before we are ready to make the necessary changes in our life?” Today is the day to draw that line in the sand. Let’s not wait for the desperate hour to get on track. Because today is the day to move forward with God.

In a time when burdensome and disturbing news is flooding into the psyche of the Church, how is a believer supposed to respond? Is it our job to be aware of all the maniacal and deranged movements of the powers of darkness? Is this what God assigned us to do? Knowing how to govern the thought life is the essential skill of triumphant Christians. This all-important skill of “thought superintendence” is the basis of maintaining strong faith and peaceful composure in the midst of social upheaval. Let’s make sure we are entertaining the most spectacular thought instead of the most despairing one.

A.I. technology is exploding. As a result, the church is facing ethical questions that we have never faced before. Is it okay to use A.I. technology? Should there be boundaries to our use of A.I.? Should we as the church mount an opposition to it? Should we just shrug our shoulders and say "Que sera, sera”? This is a challenging matter and one that will likely not be solved in and through this one sermon. However, maybe this sermon can be a first step for many of us to begin to think through these issues and find ways to preserve the Truth in the midst of an alternate reality world.

Is there a point in our spiritual growth where our initial leaps and bounds forward in Christ-honoring devotion become “progress enough” and we can finally quit with all the radical enthusiasm? Is it okay to leave the work of grace in our lives a bit half-baked, after all, we are so much further along than most? So many of us have subconsciously succumbed to the classic “slow down and take it easy” bait of the Devil. We reason that if we are a bit ahead of the pagan pack of humanity in our virtue and in the cleanliness of our lifestyle, than we are probably just fine when it comes to the pending matter of judgment. But, that reasoning, robs God of His glory. He designed us to be marvelous and majestic pictures of His Person that this world could/should behold. Let’s get serious again about finishing this grand Castle construction project.

Many of us are a far cry from being a “crazy yeller”. And to be quite frank, we would like to keep it that way. But, every single one of us should present ourselves before the Lord and say, “Lord, take my tongue and speak through me—even if I need to appear a bit crazy to the onlooking world.” When the world threatens to cancel us, or worse, kill us—there is a human propensity to self-protect, to hide in a closet, to shut our trap, and to bury our testimony in the catacombs of rationalization. But, example after example is supplied in Scripture for the construct of the “crazy yeller”—the man or the woman that is God’s workmanship, available to God to do whatever God requests, to speak whatever God needs spoken, at the very moment God needs it to be done. Would we be willing to be built after the pattern of the “crazy yeller"?

They. We all know of the concept of “they” even though we often struggle to ever pin down who exactly “they” is. But, this we know: “They” is a powerful force at work in our world to counsel us, direct us, and intimidate us into heeding the code of cultural normalcy. It’s embarrassing to admit how successful “they” has been in this past decade in steering the Church of Jesus Christ. Especially since, there is a “They” that IS supposed to lead the Church of Jesus Christ—just not the one currently at the helm. It’s a divine “They” with a capital “T”—the triune God Himself. Let’s make sure we are following the “They” God created us to heed.

Boxing and Christianity have a lot of similarities. They both demand similar strengths, similar perseverance, similar durability, and similar toughness. Both activities (boxing and Christianity) demand that you perform your challenging task with utmost precision while simultaneously being clobbered in the face. They are both extremely difficult. In fact, both are highly dangerous and even deadly. And both of the modern renditions of these sports are mere shadows of what they once were. The quality levels of both seem to have greatly deteriorated over the past thirty years. So, If the Christian life were likened to the art of boxing, it’s time to remake the boxer and rediscover the sweet science of boxing greatness.

Whether we ever speak it out loud, we tend to mutter inwardly to ourselves as believers about the all-out commitment our Savior demands of us. "Why so much?” We ponder. "Why can’t He just accept my pittance? Why must He require everything of me?" But, such inward questions only expose the frailty of our human perspective and uncover the deep lack in our spiritual fervor. For, against all logic, we genuinely think He’s asking too much of us. When in actuality, if there anything is too extravagant in the Gospel, it’s what He is freely giving to us.

Faith seems so reasonable when you are sitting in a chair in your Bible school class. In light of Who God is, what God has done, and what He has promised—it’s totally logical to exclaim, “I trust Him! He can do anything!” But, it’s a bit more difficult when you find yourself at the edge of the Red Sea, in the Valley of Elah with a giant boasting, or, as this message explains—at the tomb of a brother who died and was buried four days earlier. Martha’s struggles in the eleventh chapter of John are a beautiful portrayal of how Jesus ever-so-gently cares for us when our faith trembles before the impossible task. He is faithful . . . always faithful.

The Devil is very good at what he does. He is amazing at the art of compromising the Christian. And yet, as good as our enemy is at seducing and sabotaging us, God is even more skilled at making Christians overcomes. If we allow our God’s Truth to be our guide, victory is assured over the snazzy speedboats of the Devil.

The European landscape has experienced many battles, but no country has endured the trauma of war like the small country of Belgium. And in Belgium, it is arguable that the city of Liege has taken the brunt of it. Likewise, the landscape of Scripture has endured many controversies. But the little passage of Hebrews 6:4-6 has experienced more than maybe any other. This small little portion of Scripture forces the question of God's judgment versus His mercy. Is He a God who is seeking any opportunity to cut us off or every opportunity to save us?

In 1911 one of the worst fires in U.S. history took place in the Asch Building in New York City. The doors were locked on the 8th floor, so everyone on the 8th, 9th, and 10th floor of the building were stuck. One man, the foreman of the building, had the key, but he ran to save his own life. May we not be as the foreman in the Asch Building, holding the solution for the salvation of others, but choosing to utilize our precious key merely for our own escape.

Many Christians are seasoned veterans at whooping at their televisions when their team scores that winning touchdown. But few Christians these days are adept at whooping heavenward when God does His God-thing and saves the day down here on earth. We seem to leap and dance at nonsensical things that matter little in light of eternity and yet sparingly supply God the ardent appreciation He truly deserves. What would happen if we flipped this thing around and began to celebrate the goodness, the faithfulness, and the victory of God as we ought?

Thirteen years ago, almost to the day, Eric delivered this message. It proved to be one of the most important messages in the formation of Ellerslie training and the Ellerslie church. With the Alumni in town this past week, Ellerslie has been strolling down Memory Lane. So, it seemed fitting to continue traversing Memory Lane all the way through Sunday morning. This is a fresh delivery of a life-impacting classic!

The Alumni Summit is finally here, and Ellerslie alumni, the world over, have arrived on campus. This week is always one of the most precious of the year and this particular year is sort of a retro-week at Ellerslie, where we go back to the first year of Ellerslie training and bring out of the mothballs some of the great classic messages that marked our beginnings. So, to kick off all the retro-fun, Eric dug in the sermon archives and yanked out this beauty. It's about Napoleon, yes. But more, it’s a profound meditation on the way a true King ought to be crowned—Jesus style.

In sword fighting, striking with the ricasso part of the blade would be deemed a novice maneuver and one sure to find little to no effect in stopping ones enemy. In fact, it may prove the last swing that novice swordsman ever swings. As believers, we are commissioned to wield a sword. But, what if we aren’t very good at it. After all, when you first pick up the Sword of the Spirit, excellence in handling isn’t usually found instantaneously. There is training needed. So, what about the meantime? Are we to be buzzard food while we get our spiritual swordsmanship in order? Good thing to note, in the Kingdom of Heaven, our success doesn’t lean on our own personal perfection, it rests on our wonderful Savior’s perfection. If you are going to win this battle with the powers of darkness, you must know that the ricasso portion of your blade can devastate your enemy just like the sharpened blade can, if you swing it with childlike faith.