Hipster Church (Part 1)

No Compromise Radio Thanks for tuning in to No Compromise Radio with pastor and author,

Dr. Mike Abendroth. Today on No Compromise Radio, we'll be hearing Pastor Mike open the

Word of God in a recent message he preached at Bethlehem Bible Church in West Boylston, Massachusetts.

Now let's join Pastor Mike in progress as he preaches through the scriptures, verse by verse with no compromise.

There's a new book that's sweeping Christian evangelicalism and it's called

Hipster Christianity. Hipster Christianity. So I have a question for you this morning.

Are you cool? I guess by the laugh, that means no.

Are you really a hipster, modern, world thinks you're cool?

You think you're cool? This book fuses the American obsession with cool and Christianity.

Publishers Weekly said being hip is about valuing independence, freedom, and reinvention.

But when evangelical Christian culture adopts hip's rebellious nature, what happens to the message of the institutional church?

Can you be cool and a Christian? Should you sell coolness? One reviewer said, what could possibly be wrong with churches pursuing cool culture in an attempt to attract today's young, trend -obsessed congregants?

And to me to ask the question is to answer it. If we want to be a hip church, these are some of the things we're told to do.

Focus mainly on social justice and creation care. I couldn't make this up.

Sponsor church outings to micro breweries. Show clips from R -rated movies during services.

Put a worship pastor on stage decked in clothes from American apparel. Print bulletins on recycled card stock.

Be okay with cussing. Use Helvetica fonts as much as possible.

Less ink for the environment. Advertise gluten -free options for communion.

Just this week, the largest church in America, largest that I know of, I watched some video online and they were having special music songs from Miley Cyrus, Charlotte's Web soundtrack, and the other one

I saw was one by Celine Dion. Be cool.

Be a cool pastor and talk about things like authenticity, kingdom, justice.

Quote N .T. Wright in sermons. And the list goes on and on and on. The book says, that guy with the

Poseidon tattoo I saw in the hookah bar last night is a Presbyterian pastor? Who knew?

And the message is this. Be really cool. Then people will like your coolness.

And then you can tell them you're a Christian. Surprise, surprise. And it's okay to be cool and a

Christian as well. You can really have it all. These people are desperate for the world's approval.

They're hankering for the world's approval. No, they're drooling for it. What would

Paul say to hipster Christianity? What would Paul say to coolness?

Especially if you're using coolness as a springboard to preach the gospel. We don't want to hear about forgiveness of sins and eternal life in heaven.

We don't want to hear about hell and justice and holiness. Unless you're cool.

Let's turn our Bibles to 1 Corinthians chapter 4 and ask the question. Was Paul a hipster?

Was Paul cool? This morning we'll look at this topic of immaturity.

And that's exactly what was happening to the church of Corinth. They were influenced by immature people.

Just like we are today. It's immature to say the gospel needs a crutch.

Let's dress up the cross of Christ with something that's pretty. And then they'll like it.

Remember the old religions had some kind of symbol that was indicative of fruitfulness.

Maybe our religion will have a stalk of grain. Maybe our religion will have some symbol that puts a good spin on what we believe.

But we know for Paul, let's forget chapter 4 for a second. Go back to chapter 1. We know

Paul has nothing to do with that because he's learned from his master.

How can you make the cross cool and hip? How can you make Christianity cool and hip?

And by the way, this morning I will gladly exchange ephemeral, temporal hipsterness and coolness for the transcendent gospel that God sent his superior son for a substitutionary atonement on our behalf.

I'd gladly trade. And look at what he says in 1 Corinthians 1 verse 18.

As he's addressing people that have bought into worldly thinking. That have purchased the lie that says immaturity is actually good.

1 Corinthians 1 verse 18, remember for the word of the cross is hip. For the word of the cross is cool.

The doctrine that says Jesus died on behalf of sinners at Calvary, assuaging the holy justice of God.

The doctrine that says in love the Father, Son and the Spirit with an eternal arrangement, an eternal agreement, an eternal covenant sent the

Son to die on our behalf. No, that's kind of old hat. Who's going to buy that?

For the word of the cross is what? Folly, nonsense, moronic.

That God's Son is hanging on a tree is not very hip. Receiving God's judgment, it's not very cool.

Actually, the world says it's going to think it's folly. And especially it's folly to those who are what?

Perishing. Christianity, if we really understand the cross, is an embarrassment to people who aren't believers.

It's repulsive, it's an embarrassing thing. That glory should come from the cross?

Who does that? Cicero said the very word cross should be far removed not only from the person of a

Roman citizen, but from his thoughts, his eyes and his ears. I don't want to hear it.

You can just imagine the world when it really understands the cross. Not just some kind of ornament around our necks, or some kind of earring, but it really understands the cross.

The depravity of man, the sin of man, needing only the atonement, only

Christ's death would do. Something that powerful, something that infinite, the Son of God, the eternal

Son. When it understands that, it recognizes how bad we are, and then it doesn't want it at all.

And what does it say? It says they think it's folly. But to us, look at the verse in verse 18, but to us who are being saved, it is the power of God.

It works, it's effective. God's plan is right and good. We don't need to resort to worldly wisdom.

Look at verse 19. Memo to the hipsters. For it is written,

I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and the discernment of the discerning I will thwart.

That's right from Isaiah chapter 29. The Assyrians are going to come and destroy

Judah. What do we do? Well, you know, prayer's good, but we don't want to just pray.

That maybe won't work. And so let's go get the Egyptians, and let's get the Egyptians over here, and let's have a partnership with the

Egyptians, let's cooperate with the Egyptians, and that's how we'll thwart off the Assyrians. And Paul says that's bad thinking.

That's not trusting in the Lord. And so we move to 1

Corinthians chapter 4, as Paul is trying to help this church understand why they're dividing, and they're dividing because they've got worldly wisdom.

They want the world's approval. And he still, in chapter 4, verses 8 through 13 today, is trying to get the

Corinthian church to think properly about leadership, about the cross of Christ, about worldly wisdom.

And this morning, we're going to look at this passage and learn from Paul this point. We're going to learn what immaturity looks like so that we don't do it.

Positively, maybe I could say it this way. Let me show you two thoughts that you need to have etched into your memory so that you don't become immature, so you don't act like somebody who's immature.

Immaturity is okay for people who are new in Christ, right? But immaturity is not good for those who should know better, and Paul knew the

Corinthians knew better. He was there for 18 months teaching them. Two thoughts today to make sure we run from Corinthian immaturity so that we might be mature in Christ.

How can I be immature? Number one, you want to stay immature? You want to stay in spiritual diapers?

You want to be like a carnal Corinthian? Number one, think that you have arrived spiritually.

That's exactly what happened to the church of Corinth. We've arrived. We're there. No more need to study and to put off and to put on and to think about the cross.

We're there. We are the world. Now, for those of you that don't like sarcasm in the pulpit, sorry, but Paul is super...

No, that's not what I meant. Whatever that meant to you is fine.

Each having his own meaning. Paul's sarcasm in these next few verses, it's real, it's biting, it's full of irony, and it's like they won't listen to a normal sit -down talk.

Have you ever had kind of a family meeting? We need to get everything straight and let's work through these issues and the dad wants to help the family, so let's sit down and talk, kind of conference time.

When people don't listen, sarcasm is a good way to get their attention. It's a good way to make your point.

We don't want to be sarcastic all the time. We don't want to go around and tell people sarcastic thoughts and comments.

Some people are just like that. They're like, well, I have the gift of sarcasm. Paul uses it strategically, but it's biblical, and Paul is going to just go for the jugular here with sarcasm, and if you had never read this part of Scripture, you're going to think, who talks like this?

Paul talks like this, especially when the church of Corinth needs it. Now remember,

Paul has learned from Jesus very well. There's two basic approaches to talk to believers and unbelievers.

Here's the first approach. When you meet somebody who knows they're needy, who knows they haven't arrived, who knows that they're not dependent on self, they're far from self -sufficient, then we talk to them kindly and nicely, and we come alongside of them.

We're like the Holy Spirit who comes alongside and helps and encourages and comforts and leads, and Jesus would do that very often, especially with sinful people, people that the world would call sinners.

But there's another way to talk to people, and you talk this way to these people because they realize that they're not as great as they think they are.

They think they have righteousness. They're not dependent on the Lord. They're not sufficient. They're self -sufficient, and Jesus and Paul and Peter, for that matter, really whack them, and so I don't want you to be immature.

I don't want to be immature. So let's make sure we never think we've arrived, and look at the sting that comes with 1

Corinthians 4 .8. If you're artistic, you should probably draw a little bumblebee next to this verse because it hurts.

You look down in your arm, and you've already brushed the bee off, but you can see that little muscle just pumping. If you have glasses on, you can just see it.

You go, that thing is still giving me venom right here. This is one of those kind of bee bite. I have my physical tomorrow.

I'm sure I'm going to hear this. It's just going to be like a little bee sting. Well, bees hurt. This is meant to hurt, but it's for the glory of God.

Paul's an apostle. He wants them to think rightly. Who in this congregation could raise their hand and say,

I've arrived? Somebody just raised their hand, and then there's a kid, and they go, I don't think

I'm supposed to. And just listen to what he says. 1 Corinthians 4 .8,

the anatomy of immaturity, point one, you think you've arrived. So I want to be mature.

Let's not think we've arrived. Let's continue to hunger and thirst. Already you have all you want.

Already you have become rich. Without us apostles, you have become kings.

If I was in a hipster church, I'd put my finger in my mouth and pop a bubble. Already you have all you want.

You're filled. Already you have become rich. Already you have become kings. You're fat, dumb, and happy.

You're full. You're rich. You're a king.

And that you did reign, so that we might share the rule with you. Now, when you are hungry, and you eat food, the way

God has designed your stomach is, no longer do you feel hunger pains, do you? You go,

I'm, is that the right word? Sated? Satiated? Full?

I don't know. Yes, okay. It's like they've got no desire, no stomach growling.

If you're a Christian, you want to keep maturing and to be more and more like who you are in Christ. You realize what

Jesus has done for you, and in response, in gratitude, and out of love. You should never think to yourself, you know, my stomach never growls for truth, for righteousness, for honor, for exalting

Christ. I'm just never really hungry because I'm full. I've had it. I've gone to Bible school, I've gone to Bible college,

I've been to IBS, and now I just want to live my life. It's like people who say, do you know what? I've hit 65, 70 years old, and I'm ready to retire.

I've retired from this learning. Holiness is hard. Give me the therapeutic

Celine Dion, this, that, and the other. I just want nice. I hear people say, well, you know, don't go to Bethlehem Bible Church because it's like seminary from the pulpit.

I think, well, maybe compared to preschool, it is. But I want you to learn.

I want you to grow. I want you to have feelings in your stomach where you say, I kind of thought

I knew Christianity, but I couldn't go that deep. I didn't understand it. And these truths are like salt to my tongue, and it just makes me want to drive deeper and farther.

So I commend you for being at Bethlehem Bible Seminary. Don't you want to learn?

What's the opposite? Oh, you're so full. Let's just do the R -rated movie clip, and let's sing.

Maturity says, I still need to learn. Whether you're a young man in Christ, a young woman in Christ, or you're a senior saint,

I still want to learn. I still want to grow. Because the Corinthians, if they had that attitude, they're not going to be walking around like peacocks strutting around.

Look at us. Can you imagine who they're doing it to? Paul, the apostle.

You can't teach us anything. You were here for 18 months, and now we're beyond you. You're down here.

Paul here. We're here. You can't teach us anything. We're full.

We're rich. We're kings. We're reigning. Paul says, don't think you've arrived.

The dictionary says sarcasm is a cutting, often ironic remark intended to wound.

And might I add, since this is a Christian assembly, in love. It's cutting.

It's a loving thing to do church discipline. It's a loving thing to evangelize. It's loving to say to a church that thinks they're filled, and I don't think this is our church.

But it's loving to tell the truth. He doesn't soothe their pride.

He attacks it. You know, if you're going to criticize somebody, you just say, before you criticize them, you say, just bless their hearts.

And then you go ahead. He doesn't say anything like that. The Corinthians don't think

Paul the apostle can help in any way. That's like a four -year -old marching into your room on Sunday morning and say, thanks for all the training.

I'm done with you. I don't need you anymore. I'll see you after I make a name for myself in New York City.

I remember a boxer once. I forgot his name. He said he was going to take the world by storm. And he went to New York City to make a name for himself.

And he said, the first thing I realized, they had stole my luggage. And I wasn't as great as I thought

I was. Paul takes a bulldozer and just smashes down what they think.

He says, you already have everything you need. You see how many times the word already is used there? Paul says, it's like Thanksgiving dinner.

And the guys have to excuse themselves and kind of take their belt and unloosen it a couple straps because you just feel so full.

He says, that's how you think you are spiritually. You've got your 38 belt size and you've expanded it up to a 44 after Thanksgiving dinner.

Is this a true statement? Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness.

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness. That's right from Matthew chapter 5 verse 6.

They're doing the exact opposite. We know, we're the teachers. You can't teach us. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for it.

They can't get enough. When I left you, Corinth, you were on your way.

You were in about third grade. But now you think you're working on your PhD. You skipped everything.

And if you use the world's wisdom to measure yourself, you'll think you're wise. That's what they're doing.

Well, according to Paul's schema, we're not wise. But we've got different rules now.

It's worldly wisdom. And according to the world, we are wise. We've arrived. We're full. We see the progression.

Then we're rich. And then we're kings. The philosophers in their day talk like that.

Stoic philosophers said, I alone am rich. I alone reign as king.

And Paul says, in your dream, you're already reigning.

You've set up your own kind of millennial kingdom. And you think you're already reigning in it. Number two, found in verses 9 through 13, for us, as we think about the passage, let's not ever think we've arrived.

Let's hunger and thirst for righteousness. Use God's ordained means, prayer, preaching, studying, et cetera, to grow.

We never want to think we've arrived. Number two, so we don't slip into immaturity, let's think properly about apostles and how they manifest the theology of the cross before the theology of glory.

In other words, Paul is going to show himself with the apostles as those who are mature, so that the

Corinthians can follow the mature ones. And here's what the mature ones do. First of all, they don't think they've arrived.

And second of all, they suffer and they realize it isn't your best life now.

The cross comes before the crown. Theology of suffering comes before the theology of glory.

Show me leaders who are great leaders and I'll inevitably show you people who suffer.

Those who follow the suffering servant actually what? Suffer. Oh, it's good for Jesus to suffer, the apostles to suffer, but we don't want to suffer anymore.

We've got a different route. And so Paul is going to say, you're acting like you're full and you're not.

And second of all, don't forget looking at us, the apostles. We have, by the grace of God, matured.

And you want to see a matured saint? It'll be a saint who's not standing up like they're a king, but they're down on their faces.

Verse 9, For I think that God has exhibited us, apostles, as...

Now think of the contrast. You're reigning and we are, what Americans hate to hear, last of all.

What are the apostles like? Remember he's going to go on to say in verse 16, be imitators of me.

They're like men sentenced to death because we have become a spectacle to the world, to angels and to men.

You also, Bethlehem Bible Church, with me and all the leaders, need to say to yourself, the apostles set the bar for how we should live.

They're the ones to whom we should look as exemplary models of the theology of the cross.

So what does Paul say here in verse 9? For I think that God has made us apostles.

In other words, look at us. Compared to the Corinthian church, the apostles look like failures.

If I compare you to the apostles, I think we should look like the failures.

That's the right kind of thinking. God has exhibited us.

By the way, we have become a spectacle in the ESV. The Greek word, you'll like it. Theatron.

Theater. We have become a spectacle to the world.

It's like we're up on this theater stage platform. I don't like to call this a stage, because on stages you act.

I like to call this something very... I know it's high liturgy. We call this a platform. And so Paul says,

I'm like I'm on a theater, some amphitheater. And for them, they would recognize who is put before people in an amphitheater, who are the ones that are low enough to be put on stage for the world to watch and everyone else to watch.

I'll tell you who. Slaves and criminals to be executed in the

Colosseum. To let the lions out. To let the animals out. And then you say, you know what?

We've got a God that needs to be propitiated. And we need to offer a human. And so who do we use?

Let's not use business people and advisors and smart intellects. We need to have people who are expendable.

People that we don't like. People that we don't need. And so if you have to offer a sacrifice unto some

God, don't pick somebody who's in leadership. If America had to offer somebody to please the

God, I doubt we'll pick the President or the Vice President. No Compromise Radio with Pastor Mike Abendroth is a production of Bethlehem Bible Church in West Boylston.

Bethlehem Bible Church is a Bible teaching church firmly committed to unleashing the life -transforming power of God's Word through verse -by -verse exposition of the sacred text.

Please come and join us. Our service times are Sunday morning at 1015 and in the evening at 6. We're right on Route 110 in West Boylston.

You can check us out online at bbchurch .org or by phone at 508 -835 -3400.

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