Crazy…crazy like a fox!

Steve Brown:
Crazy…crazy like a fox! Let’s talk about it on this edition of Key Life.

Matthew Porter:
It’s for freedom that Christ set us free, and Key Life is here to bring you Biblical teaching that encourages you to never give into slavery again. Our teacher on Key Life is Steve Brown. He’s an author, broadcaster, and seminary professor who’s sick of phony religion.

Steve Brown:
Thank you Matthew. We’re looking at, this is a part of our series in Philippians, and we’re looking at Philippians 4:7. And we’re talking about the supernatural nature of the Christian faith. Sometimes we forget that what we are about as Christians is supernatural. It has a supernatural root to it. It has a supernatural growth in it. It has a supernatural way of making a difference in our lives. And not even we can explain what God is doing. But there is supernatural stuff that we can claim as a part of our heritage. We have seen, if you’ve been listening from that one text. We’ve noted not only a supernatural joy, a supernatural reaction, relationship, and resource, a supernatural rest, and reassurance. But note also, finally, there is a supernatural rationality, Philippians 4:7.

And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding will guard your minds in Christ Jesus.

And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding

here it is

will guard your minds in Christ Jesus.

My late friend Ben Hayden, tells a story one time about a college professor who was called on the carpet because they charged him with giving the same exam every year, year after year, to his students. That made it very easy for them to cheat. And so, the board called him in and asked him if he did it, and he said, of course I do it. And they asked, why do you do it? And he said, because the questions each year are the same, but the correct answers change each year. He had a point. Someone just said that a quick way to get your library down to size is to throw away every book on science that you have that is ten years old. Now, by nature, I’m fairly cerebral in my dealing with matters of religion. In other words, I want to be able to figure things out. The problem is that every day I’m confronted with something I can’t figure out. If you’ve never stood before God and been totally confused, you’ve never stood before God. You’re worshiping an idol because God is infinite and we are finite. He knows everything and we know nothing. He’s big and we are very little. But something happens, and Paul talks about it in I Corinthians in the first chapters of that particular book.

The foolishness of God, the wisdom of God, greater than anything known by human beings.

In other words, we know in a supernatural and rational way that this is true. It is all true. Next week we’re going to spend almost the whole week, we’ll spend the first week with Justin for the final teaching on our Lenten series. And then the rest of the week is Holy Week. And I’m going to spend some time talking about it. When we get to Friday, I’m going to talk about the cross and the resurrection. I remember the first year when I was a pastor at a little church down on Cape Cod when it dawned on me on Easter, that there was one more person in the congregation that could be counted by the ushers, and that one person was Jesus. That a dead man really got out of a grave. That a dead man ate food. That a dead man revealed himself to over five hundred people. And as that began to sink in, in my life, things began to happen in my mind, not just my heart, in my mind. A rational realization that this faith, about which I was not sure, this faith was true. It was true in an amazing and wonderful way.

The Jews demand signs.

Paul said.

The Greeks seek wisdom.

We preach Christ crucified, that’s folly to Gentiles and Greeks and surprising to Jews because it is a supernatural realism and rationality that takes place in the heart and the mind of the believer. If you ask me, and you’re not a believer, why I believe all of this stuff is true, I could probably win an argument with you, because I’m good at that. And I know more about this subject than you do, and I have a glib tongue. But you want to know the truth? The truth is that I believe, because I believe, because I believe, because I believe. And it’s perfectly rational and balanced and understanding in my mind, the mind to which Paul refers in Philippians 4:7. So that’s it. That’s what believers have. Supernatural joy, reaction, relationship, resource, rest, reassurance, and rationality. And please note that all of those begin with “R”. I worked hard to make it come out that way. All of those things are explainable only to those whose minds have been opened. In fact, if you try to explain them to people who don’t know or understand, they’ll think you’re foolish, that you’re crazy. And you will be, like a fox. In one of Kierkegaard’s parables, I’ve been reading a book by a scholar. It was a PhD dissertation, and it’s so dry that if we have a flood, I’m going to stand on it cause I’ll stay dry. On Kierkegaard’s understanding of the doctrine of God’s immutability, but that’s not the kind of thing Kierkegaard deals with a lot. A lot he deals with the heart. Kierkegaard was the first existentialist, and he was a Christian. Most people who buy into that philosophy are not Christians in our day, but it started by somebody who understood how important life was. At any rate, he tells a story in one of his parables about a clown in the theater who, while he was backstage, realized that the theater was on fire. He went on stage and started yelling and warning everybody, and the crowd thought it was a part of his act and applauded. He yelled louder and began to wave his hands, but the crowd only laughed harder at the laughable man. Kierkegaard made a point that I’m going to point to. We live in a world that is sophisticated, a world that values intellectual prowess and tangible accomplishments. Often those who bear the name of Christ are thought to be clowns. And they laugh. Perhaps you’ve been listening, as I’ve taught on this particular subject, thinking that this is simply beyond understanding. Well, maybe, but it really isn’t. You simply have to join the clowns. That would be us. Well, I have a few more seconds to say a few more things about this particular subject. And it is this, that we do live a supernatural life. Sometimes we forget about it. I have spent years teaching in theological seminaries. And sometimes we become so enamored with the theological propositions that we study, why they are rationally true. We write books on those, and dissertations on those truths. And they are important, but sometimes you’ve got to stop and go from the classroom to the chapel. And get on your knees and say, God, these are words, and you are the Word. Come yourself. You think about that. Amen.

Matthew Porter:
Thank you Steve. And as we wrap up this week’s teaching on Philippians, a quick reminder. If you’d like to re listen to any of these episodes or maybe share the series with a friend, check out keylife.org/philippians-broadcast there’s also a free little bonus waiting for you there. You’re welcome. Well, have you seen that internet meme about we’ve been trying to reach you about your car’s warranty? The joke is that wherever you go, that silly sales pitch somehow finds you. Sometimes it feels that way with guilt. Wherever you go, when you least expect it, BAM! Hey, remember that one thing you did? Ugh. But here’s the deal. Jesus’ death paid the debt for all our sins, that means guilt can actually lead us back to Christ to find true and lasting forgiveness. Steve wrote about this in a mini-book called Feeling Guilty: Grace for Your Mistakes. If you’d like a free copy of that mini-book, then call us right now at 1-800-KEY-LIFE that’s 1-800-539-5433. You can also e-mail Steve@keylife.org to ask for that mini-book. Or if you’d like to mail your request, go to keylife.org/contact for our mailing addresses. Again, just ask for the free mini-book called Feeling Guilty: Grace for Your Mistakes. And finally, if you’re blessed by the ministry of Key Life would you help share that blessing with others through your giving? Just charge a gift on your credit card or include a gift in your envelope. Or simply text Key Life to 28950 that’s Key Life, one word or two. Text that to 28950. Key Life is a member of ECFA in the States and CCCC in Canada. And Key Life is a listener supported production of Key Life Network.