UDSKRIFT 🔗
WEBVTT
00:00:00.239 --> 00:00:05.200
How many people do you need to notice you before you feel like you matter?
00:00:05.440 --> 00:00:10.960
When you reach that threshold, how long would it take to be enough?
00:00:11.199 --> 00:00:13.199
What about your title or credentials?
00:00:13.359 --> 00:00:16.559
What level do you need to reach before you're satisfied?
00:00:16.800 --> 00:00:20.399
When you feel like you've officially arrived.
00:00:21.199 --> 00:00:28.640
Most people wouldn't openly state that they're chasing status or looking to be a performer, but the desire can be subtle.
00:00:28.800 --> 00:00:30.559
It can appear in a variety of ways.
00:00:30.800 --> 00:00:35.359
It can even be a temptation for those who have no desire to be in the public eye.
00:00:35.600 --> 00:00:44.479
When we think of the topic of platform, our first thought might go to content creators obsessing over stats or sales.
00:00:44.799 --> 00:00:52.640
But it appears in professionals, centered on title, maybe a promotion, or how many letters are behind their name.
00:00:52.880 --> 00:00:56.880
For politicians, the office they hold carries a platform.
00:00:57.119 --> 00:01:00.960
Even for tradesmen, it can be their reputation around town.
00:01:01.200 --> 00:01:04.560
And believe it or not, it can even be for us, pastors.
00:01:04.959 --> 00:01:10.560
We focus too much on the size of the congregation or how many people are watching online, like you right now.
00:01:10.799 --> 00:01:14.879
The idol of platform shows up all over the place.
00:01:18.319 --> 00:01:26.400
We are in week four of our series titled Idols, uncovering the areas of misplaced worship in our day-to-day lives.
00:01:26.719 --> 00:01:32.879
Last week we called out the idol of work, learning how to return to God for his Sabbath rest.
00:01:33.200 --> 00:01:50.560
And today's message serves as a bit of a dovetail from last week, looking a little bit more specifically at work, but within the title, within the platform that we carry, which is often very much connected to our careers or maybe trades, whatever it is you do for work.
00:01:51.359 --> 00:01:54.319
And sometimes enough isn't enough.
00:01:54.560 --> 00:02:02.959
And so we're going to address the inner craving to be seen, valued, and known based on our title or status, our platform.
00:02:03.359 --> 00:02:16.639
We'll discover what happens when our desire to be platformed goes unchecked, and asking the deeper question of who we're really doing all this for, and whose opinion should matter the most.
00:02:17.280 --> 00:02:18.800
Let's get started.
00:02:39.439 --> 00:02:42.639
Our scripture reading is Galatians 1, 6 to 10.
00:02:42.879 --> 00:02:45.439
You're welcome to follow along with a physical Bible.
00:02:45.680 --> 00:02:53.199
Search the table of contents for the corresponding page number, or you can download the Bible app or visit Bible.com.
00:02:55.439 --> 00:03:03.120
I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel.
00:03:03.520 --> 00:03:10.159
Not that there is one, but there are some who trouble you and want to distort the gospel of Christ.
00:03:10.639 --> 00:03:19.919
But even if we, or an angel from heaven, should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preach to you, let him be accursed.
00:03:20.240 --> 00:03:30.000
As we have said before, so now I say again, if anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him be accursed.
00:03:30.479 --> 00:03:34.400
For am I now seeking the approval of man or of God?
00:03:34.800 --> 00:03:36.960
Or am I trying to please man?
00:03:37.199 --> 00:03:42.000
If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ.
00:03:42.639 --> 00:03:50.080
The Apostle Paul is writing to the Christians in the city of Galatia, and he's not impressed with the report he's been getting.
00:03:50.319 --> 00:04:00.240
He writes, I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel.
00:04:00.479 --> 00:04:06.560
The Galatians had been pulled away from the gospel of Jesus Christ that they once had embraced.
00:04:06.719 --> 00:04:11.360
And now they're chasing a version of false Christianity, a false gospel.
00:04:11.520 --> 00:04:18.079
And this is an important verse related to our series because that's ultimately what all misplaced worship does.
00:04:18.319 --> 00:04:21.199
This is how we slip into idolatry.
00:04:21.360 --> 00:04:27.519
We're pulled away following something else instead of Jesus little by little, and he fades into the distance.
00:04:27.839 --> 00:04:34.560
Misplaced worship sets in as he's replaced by someone else or something else that we love.
00:04:34.639 --> 00:04:38.160
And then we start to love that thing or person more than him.
00:04:38.639 --> 00:04:49.120
Related to today's focus, he's replaced by the adoring fans, the cheering constituency, the dedicated workforce, or maybe the social metrics.
00:04:49.360 --> 00:04:55.839
Now, if we come back to Paul, who before he met Jesus was a religious leader named Saul.
00:04:56.240 --> 00:05:00.720
He had significant status under the title of Pharisee.
00:05:01.040 --> 00:05:05.439
He highlights this later in chapter one of this letter to the Galatians.
00:05:05.680 --> 00:05:09.839
He writes, For you have heard of my former life in Judaism.
00:05:10.079 --> 00:05:15.439
I was advancing in Judaism beyond many my own age among my people.
00:05:15.839 --> 00:05:20.639
So extremely zealous was I for the traditions of my fathers.
00:05:21.040 --> 00:05:24.560
In first century Judea, this was a platform.
00:05:24.720 --> 00:05:26.639
A Pharisee had a platform.
00:05:26.879 --> 00:05:33.839
He would have been known and appreciated by the elites, he would have had a following, and likely a comfortable life.
00:05:34.079 --> 00:05:37.439
And yet, he left it all when he met
Load full transcript
Jesus.
00:05:37.680 --> 00:05:39.839
His life was transformed.
00:05:40.480 --> 00:05:49.519
The praise and platform of the world he once knew totally lost its luster when compared to Jesus.
00:05:49.759 --> 00:05:57.120
If we jump back into the core text for today, he writes, For am I now seeking the approval of man or of God?
00:05:57.439 --> 00:05:59.759
Or am I trying to please man?
00:06:00.160 --> 00:06:05.759
If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ.
00:06:06.240 --> 00:06:10.240
The sentence kind of has a sarcastic pivot.
00:06:10.480 --> 00:06:13.759
Likely the sentence?
00:06:15.120 --> 00:06:20.879
This sentence has a bit of a sarcastic pivot, and it's likely aimed at church leadership.
00:06:21.120 --> 00:06:25.519
Nevertheless, it applies to everyone and anyone, even you and I today.
00:06:25.680 --> 00:06:31.360
At some point, we need to choose between impressing the crowd and following Jesus.
00:06:31.600 --> 00:06:34.800
Within this sarcasm of Paul, the message is clear.
00:06:35.040 --> 00:06:39.279
The crowd will never offer what Christ can guarantee.
00:06:39.600 --> 00:06:44.319
The approval of the crowd is fickle based on shifting opinions of culture.
00:06:44.560 --> 00:06:50.079
In order to maintain a platform, the crowd needs to be continually impressed and appeased.
00:06:50.399 --> 00:06:53.759
God's approval, however, doesn't depend on us.
00:06:54.079 --> 00:07:04.079
It was freely given at the cross when Jesus paid for our sin and then offered in pure form, conquering sin and death at the empty tomb.
00:07:04.800 --> 00:07:13.839
The crowd might offer fleeting earthly approval, but Jesus offers a guarantee, a guaranteed eternal approval.
00:07:14.079 --> 00:07:17.920
All because of him and nothing dependent on us.
00:07:18.480 --> 00:07:26.879
Now, at this point, there might be a temptation to see all platforms and large followings as wrong or sinful.
00:07:27.120 --> 00:07:29.040
And that happens sometimes in our culture.
00:07:29.279 --> 00:07:33.279
If someone's popular, they must be bad or they must be doing something wrong.
00:07:33.600 --> 00:07:36.480
But that's not true, and that's not what I'm saying.
00:07:36.720 --> 00:07:39.839
And that's not what we see in scripture and throughout Christian history.
00:07:40.000 --> 00:07:45.680
In the Bible, we see leaders like Moses, who was given a massive following that he initially didn't even want.
00:07:45.839 --> 00:07:49.519
And yet God used him to lead his people out of slavery.
00:07:49.839 --> 00:07:57.439
David, who was the least likely in the family to do anything great, defeated the giant Goliath and later became Israel's greatest king.
00:07:57.680 --> 00:08:07.279
The Apostle Paul, who we're talking about today, had a massive following, becoming one of the greatest preachers and church planters in the first century.
00:08:07.600 --> 00:08:15.600
All of these leaders had a massive following, but all of them were given it by
God for God's greater purposes.
00:08:15.839 --> 00:08:17.279
And it didn't stop with them.
00:08:17.519 --> 00:08:26.879
As we look throughout church history, we see preachers like George Whitfield preached to tens of thousands in open fields during the Great Awakening.
00:08:27.120 --> 00:08:34.000
Charles Spurgeon's sermons were printed and read by millions of people who were never a part of his congregation.
00:08:34.320 --> 00:08:43.600
And Billy Graham preached to more people than anyone else in history, reaching over 215 million people in more than 185 countries.
00:08:43.919 --> 00:08:53.840
In more recent history, God gave people like Tim Keller, Rick Warren, John Piper, and Andy Stanley, each of them a global platform to teach the Bible and reach the world with the gospel.
00:08:54.399 --> 00:09:04.399
And before you assume this is only about preachers and Bible teachers, God also platforms regular folk in the marketplace and civil service.
00:09:05.039 --> 00:09:12.080
There have been hundreds of people who have been given positions of influence outside of vocational ministry.
00:09:12.320 --> 00:09:21.519
God has called them to lead, speak, create, and organize so that they may have a position of gospel-driven impact on the world for the sake of the gospel.
00:09:21.759 --> 00:09:23.279
Here's some examples.
00:09:23.600 --> 00:09:30.559
William Wilberforce, a British member of Parliament, who spent decades using his platform to end the slave trade.
00:09:30.799 --> 00:09:31.279
Or R.
00:09:31.440 --> 00:09:31.519
G.
00:09:31.679 --> 00:09:37.120
Laterno, an inventor and businessman who gave the majority of his company's earnings to missions.
00:09:37.360 --> 00:09:42.879
Florence Nightingale, whose nursing reforms saved countless lives on the battlefield and beyond.
00:09:43.200 --> 00:09:49.200
Miller Fuller, a lawyer and businessman who mobilized tradespeople worldwide through Habitat for Humanity.
00:09:49.440 --> 00:09:58.399
Or David Green, founder of Hobby Lobby, who has given hundreds of millions of dollars to Christian ministries and helped fund the Museum of the Bible.
00:09:58.720 --> 00:10:05.679
God has always used visible, influential people for his purposes and our benefit.
00:10:05.919 --> 00:10:12.480
Now, he used people behind the scenes for sure as well, but he's not afraid to use big platforms.
00:10:12.799 --> 00:10:20.720
You see, these people have used their platform to carry the gospel in the world or to support human flourishing.
00:10:20.960 --> 00:10:22.480
We've experienced the benefit.
00:10:24.080 --> 00:10:34.320
That being said, there are far too many stories, far too many accounts of preachers and leaders that have fallen from the platform that God's given them.
00:10:34.480 --> 00:10:36.399
Now I don't need to name names.
00:10:36.720 --> 00:10:41.600
We've heard enough accounts over the time we've been on this earth, I'm sure.
00:10:41.840 --> 00:10:49.600
But it starts with a shift in focus, leading
toward either a regrettable decision or a full-on moral failure.
00:10:49.840 --> 00:10:55.840
As you unpack their stories, you can often see how they let status and influence get to them.
00:10:56.159 --> 00:11:01.120
Little by little, they focused more on the crowd instead of Christ.
00:11:01.279 --> 00:11:08.799
Their identity, security, and belongings started to get wrapped up in the next level of popularity, credentials, a reputation.
00:11:09.279 --> 00:11:15.759
And here's how it happens: this is how the idol of platform creeps in, and maybe is creeping in in your life.
00:11:16.080 --> 00:11:22.559
First, it could be impacting identity in your mood as it follows the numbers.
00:11:22.799 --> 00:11:30.399
If your accomplishments achieved in secret feel worthless, or if you feel jealous when someone else gets the praise.
00:11:30.799 --> 00:11:36.639
Next, the idol of platform could be impacting your security if a dip in your stats feels like an emergency.
00:11:36.799 --> 00:11:46.639
If you soften your convictions to protect your reputation, or if you can't sleep until you've checked those numbers just one last time before you go to bed.
00:11:46.960 --> 00:11:50.480
Finally, platform could be impacting your sense of belonging.
00:11:50.720 --> 00:12:05.919
If you feel lonely when the attention's not on you, if you gain more satisfaction from followers than friends, or if you don't let people ever see the unedited or unpolished version of who you really are.
00:12:06.639 --> 00:12:12.240
This is why we can't isolate the idol of platform as simply a social media issue.
00:12:12.399 --> 00:12:16.159
We're prone to do that, but it doesn't always apply.
00:12:16.399 --> 00:12:28.480
The temptation to be popular or recognized or appreciated, it impacts people from all walks of life, whether they have a small staff team of a few or a following of a few thousand.
00:12:29.279 --> 00:12:39.919
Now, if one of those descriptions hit close to home, it's better to address it now and make changes before it becomes a habitual behavior.
00:12:40.159 --> 00:12:48.080
Because chasing a platform, like all forms of misplaced worship, it doesn't just distort our identity, security, and belonging.
00:12:48.320 --> 00:12:56.960
As the drift happens, it pulls our focus away from Jesus and the call that he's put on our lives to live out the gospel.
00:12:57.120 --> 00:12:58.399
We lose our mission.
00:12:58.559 --> 00:13:07.120
And this is why, regardless of the size of our influence, we should all cling to Jesus' teaching on who we are as his followers.
00:13:07.679 --> 00:13:10.399
He told us, you are the light of the world.
00:13:10.559 --> 00:13:16.080
A city on a hill cannot be hidden, nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket.
00:13:16.320 --> 00:13:20.720
But on a stand, it gives light to all in the house.
00:13:21.120 --> 00:13:30.320
In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.
00:13:31.919 --> 00:13:37.120
You see, if Jesus has given us his light, it can't stay hidden.
00:13:38.320 --> 00:13:41.120
You might not be called to preach and teach the gospel.
00:13:41.279 --> 00:13:42.080
I get that.
00:13:43.039 --> 00:13:48.639
But you can still live out the gospel and the good works that he's given you to do.
00:13:48.799 --> 00:13:52.320
And eventually, people will see it and they'll give glory to God.
00:13:52.559 --> 00:14:01.039
Remember those people, Wilberforce, Laterno, Nightingale, Fuller, Green, they all held significant platforms.
00:14:01.279 --> 00:14:07.440
A seat in government, a growing company, a hospital ward, a builder's crew, a national retail chain.
00:14:07.759 --> 00:14:15.039
God gave them influence and put them to work right where they were, where they were passionate, where they were successful.
00:14:15.360 --> 00:14:19.279
The light they carried mattered more than the size of their platforms.
00:14:19.440 --> 00:14:23.200
They were laser focused on the job that God had given them.
00:14:23.440 --> 00:14:28.320
They kept doing the faithful work of honoring God with the good works of their platforms.
00:14:28.559 --> 00:14:36.399
And sure enough, the light of the gospel ended up shining through their careers, and God continued to bless them as they blessed others.
00:14:36.639 --> 00:14:43.200
They ended up changing nations, industries, and the lives of millions of people they would never meet.
00:14:43.600 --> 00:14:49.360
This is why, again, the crowd will never offer what Christ can guarantee.
00:14:50.159 --> 00:15:02.720
In the public square, the marketplace, the workshop of the office, in the pulpit or on the screen, the people who follow you will see the light and over time it will point them to God.
00:15:03.279 --> 00:15:04.799
So let's take a moment.
00:15:05.039 --> 00:15:08.000
Take a moment for yourself right now and consider your platform.
00:15:08.399 --> 00:15:11.120
Maybe it's small, I get it.
00:15:11.279 --> 00:15:14.399
Maybe you just lead a couple people, a small staff team.
00:15:14.639 --> 00:15:18.159
Maybe you're just a tradesman with a couple apprentices under you.
00:15:18.399 --> 00:15:22.639
Maybe you're an upper management with a lot of people looking to you for leadership.
00:15:22.799 --> 00:15:29.039
Or maybe you're in the political arena and you've been given civil service oversight in some way.
00:15:29.279 --> 00:15:35.039
Or perhaps you're legitimately an online influencer and you're watching this and you have a growing following.
00:15:35.360 --> 00:15:38.080
Wherever you're at, let's start with this question.
00:15:38.559 --> 00:15:42.399
Ask yourself, why do the people in your life follow you?
00:15:43.759 --> 00:15:45.039
Are they paid to you?
00:15:45.600 --> 00:15:47.039
Why do they choose to stay?
00:15:47.360 --> 00:15:51.759
Are they drawn in by your title, your results, or your image?
00:15:52.240 --> 00:15:55.039
Or do
they see something different in the way you lead?
00:15:56.320 --> 00:16:01.600
The second question is, what would they say you represent?
00:16:02.639 --> 00:16:06.399
Would they point to your title, your success, the image you've built?
00:16:06.799 --> 00:16:11.679
Or would they say you represent a better example in how you lead and how you live?
00:16:12.639 --> 00:16:16.559
The third question is, who would they say you follow?
00:16:17.519 --> 00:16:23.600
Would they say you follow the numbers, the approval of the crowd, the appeasement of your direct report?
00:16:23.919 --> 00:16:27.840
Or would they know that you're a Christian and that you follow Jesus?
00:16:30.000 --> 00:16:36.720
Now, if you're still struggling, remember that Jesus has faced this same temptation.
00:16:36.960 --> 00:16:38.960
You may not know that, but he has.
00:16:40.159 --> 00:16:47.200
You see, when Jesus was in the wilderness, one of the temptations Satan used was actually platform.
00:16:48.080 --> 00:16:49.919
We read about it in Matthew.
00:16:50.720 --> 00:16:57.200
It says, Again the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory.
00:16:57.519 --> 00:17:02.159
And he said to him, All these I will give you if you will fall down and worship me.
00:17:02.960 --> 00:17:05.920
Jesus said to him, Be gone, Satan.
00:17:06.079 --> 00:17:11.440
For it is written, You shall worship the Lord your God, and him only shall you serve.
00:17:11.920 --> 00:17:13.839
Matthew 4, 8 through ten.
00:17:15.279 --> 00:17:21.359
Jesus had every kingdom on earth offered to him, and he turned it down.
00:17:21.920 --> 00:17:27.039
Instead, he submitted to the Father's will, eventually leading him to the cross.
00:17:27.359 --> 00:17:32.319
He gave up his platform and then his very life so ours could be made new.
00:17:32.559 --> 00:17:39.759
And then on the third day he rose from the dead, proving his offer is a guarantee that death doesn't get the final word.
00:17:40.559 --> 00:17:44.400
You don't have to keep chasing the next level of approval.
00:17:44.640 --> 00:17:46.799
You can trade it in today.
00:17:47.119 --> 00:17:51.200
If you've never done that, you can pray this prayer right now.
00:17:51.759 --> 00:17:58.000
You can ask him to forgive you and to become the foundation of your life from this point on.
00:17:59.359 --> 00:18:00.720
Let's pray together.
00:18:02.559 --> 00:18:07.680
Dear God, I confess that I've looked for worth in the wrong places.
00:18:08.000 --> 00:18:14.319
I've let the crowd, the numbers, the position, and the title distort the influence you've given me.
00:18:15.200 --> 00:18:21.200
Thank you for sending Jesus to die for my sin and rising again to overcome sin and death.
00:18:22.640 --> 00:18:31.119
Reset my identity, my security, and my belonging so they're rooted in you instead of what others think of me.
00:18:31.759 --> 00:18:34.799
Help me seek Jesus over the crowd.
00:18:35.599 --> 00:18:37.519
In Jesus' name I pray.
00:18:37.839 --> 00:18:38.400
Amen.
00:18:38.720 --> 00:18:43.279
It's time for us to slow down once again and have some discussion and prayer.
00:18:43.599 --> 00:18:46.079
This week's discussion question is this.
00:18:46.480 --> 00:18:51.759
How have you struggled with the approval of others in the past or in your current role?
00:18:52.000 --> 00:18:57.519
How have you struggled with the approval of others either in the past or in your current role?
00:18:57.839 --> 00:19:02.400
After you discuss that a bit or add a comment in the feed, spend some time in prayer.
00:19:02.640 --> 00:19:09.039
Our focus today is to ask God to help you seek his approval and use your influence for him.
00:19:09.680 --> 00:19:14.559
Ask God to help you seek his approval and then use your influence for him.
00:19:14.960 --> 00:19:18.480
Then come back next week as we're looking at the idol of creation.
00:19:18.799 --> 00:19:24.880
What happens when the world God created becomes the focus of your devotion and affection?
00:19:25.119 --> 00:19:30.960
There's a difference between stewardship and creation care and the misplaced worship of nature.
00:19:31.279 --> 00:19:34.160
Come back next Sunday, we're going to talk about it.