Pastor Max Wilkins
August 4, 2002 - W0231

Jesus once told a powerful parable about a rich manówho surrounded himself with wallsóand a poor man who lay outside those same walls:

ìThere was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and lived in luxury everyday. At his gate was laid a beggar named Lazarus, covered with sores and longing to eat what fell from the rich manís table.î (Luke 16:19-21 NIV)

Itís interesting to note that Jesus doesnít bother to give the rich man a name, yet He does so for the poor man, Lazarus. In fact, this is the only parable Jesus provides a name for a character. And whatís even more interesting is the meaning of that name. Itís short for another name, Eleazar, which means ìthe one whom God helps.î

In those days, the people believed that if you were wealthy it was because you were more righteous than everyone else. It was an obvious sign that you had Godís favor. If you were poor and downtrodden, ill, or diseased, it was because you were somehow less righteous and suffering Godís punishment. But Jesus has this way of turning our reality (and our thinking) inside out.

ìThe time came when the beggar died and was carried by the angels to Abrahamís bosomÖ [Then] the rich man died and went to hell.î (Luke 16:22)

This story was shocking to Jesus audience, who heard Him say that the rich man, in fact, did not go to heaven but the poor man did. The people whom Jesus addressed this story to must have been confused because it shattered what they believed to be true. This doesnít mean that the Bible is saying it is unrighteous to be wealthy or righteous to be poor. The moral of the story is that Jesus is letting us know that we need to be careful of the walls we build in our lives. The rich man was given great wealth and horded it for himself, building walls to keep others out. It wasnít his wealth, but the walls that led to his unrighteousness and ultimate end.

We are in danger of building the same walls. Though we have nowhere near the same wealth, we still live lives of abundance. And, the fact is, we also build walls around ourselves. Before your walls endanger your eternity, letís dismantle them by taking a closer look at 3 reasons why walls are built and what the antidote to each reason is.

THE PROBLEMS WITH WALLS:

1.     Walls Provide Safety & Security.

Initially safety and security are a good thing, something we need to survive. But the problem with these walls is that they can lead to a false sense of security. Think about the rich man in the story. He thought he was safe and secure because he had wealth, power, and luxury. Yet scripture also says he died and went to hell. And all of his wealth, all that kept him safe and secure turns out to be the very thing that cost him his eternal soul. Donít let it cost you the same! There is an antidote you have readily available:

Antidote: Trust in the Lord & step outside your own walls.

The Lord wants us to trust in Him and not in walls we construct ourselves. All through scripture the Lord tells us that He is our fortress, our strength, our shield, our rock, our protector, and our defender. Therefore, ìIf God is for us, who can be against us?î (Rom. 8:31a). 

Dawn OíBrien shared a wonderful testimony about a wall she built around her life to keep her safe and secure. Like Dawn, we sometimes build walls in our lives as well to protect us from hurts and pain that we have lived though. We build walls intending to build a level of safety and security out of which we can minister. However, in the process of building the walls, we forget who we are as Godís people. The Lord reminded Dawn to step outside the careful walls that she built around herself in order to experience what God had for her. And He reminds us to do the same if we are to experience the miracles and power of God. Only when weíve let down our walls can we let the power of God be released through our lives.

In fact, double-check that in the Bible for yourself. Iíve discovered an interesting fact: Almost always, whenever Jesus got ready to perform a miracle, He does so outside the walls of the city.

Q1: What are the walls youíve built around your life? Have you ever stepped out from behind those walls and experienced the miracles and power of God?

Some of you may know the story of Trevor. He was an 11-year-old boy in Philadelphia who stepped out of the safety and security of his life to impact a city. He heard a newscaster report one winter evening that the homeless population risked freezing to death that night. That prompted him to take the blanket and pillow off his own bed and go downtown to help the homeless. Though his parents protested, Trevor was adamant. So his parents decided to drive him through the streets of Philadelphia that evening. They drove until they came upon a homeless man lying on a steam grate, curled up in ball. Trevor got out of the van and approached this nameless man. The man kind of looked up and Trevor handed him the blanket and pillow. Their eyes met for just an instant and the man said three words, "God bless you." Those three words touched the heart of this little 11-year-old boy.

The next day he enlisted the help of his friends to share their pillows and blankets with the homeless as well. Eventually Trevor caught the attention of city officials and the media. Soon others offered to help. McDonaldís offered food and drink and the Army offered surplus blankets.

Trevor did such a remarkable job that the city managed to find some funding and put together a multimillion-dollar non-profit organization called, ìThe Trevor Farrell Foundation for the Homeless.î At 12 years old, Trevor became the executive director. And ever since, not another human being has frozen to death on the streets of Philadelphia. Trevor had it allósafety, security, comfortóall the things that we think make life worth living. But it wasnít until he risked stepping outside the security of his own walls that he discovered life and the ability to make a huge difference. And God intends that for us as well at a personal level and at the corporate level of our churches too.

Q2: Is God prompting you to risk the security of your walls to make a difference in anotherís life?

ìThen the angel saidÖ ëJerusalem will be a city without walls because of the great number of men and livestock in it. And I myself will be a wall of fire around it,í declares the Lord, ëand I will be its glory within.íî (Zech. 2:3-5 NIV)

We donít need walls for safety and security. God says to step outside your walls and Heíll be a ìwall of fireî around us. Not only do we build walls around our lives in an attempt to feel safe and secure, the second reason why we build walls is a bit more selfish because we buildÖ

2.     Walls to Keep People Out. 

Walls are designed to keep people out and Iíve noticed sometimes churches are the same way. I was actually in a church one time where an usher told some people who walked in the door that they would be more comfortable in the church down the street. Why? Because they didnít fit the mold that church was looking for.

ìAt his gate was laid a beggar named Lazarus, covered with sores and longing to eat what fell from the rich manís table. Even the dogs came and licked his sores.î (Luke 16:20-21 NIV)

In those days the rich people had so much wealth that after a meal, they would take pieces of uneaten bread and use them like napkins to wipe their hands and faces, then toss it on the floor. After the table had been cleaned up, the dogs would come and eat the soiled bread. That beggar would have been satisfied just to have some of the soiled bread.

God makes it clear from the beginning that He blesses us that we might be a blessing to others. And Jesus blessed the rich man in order that he might have been a blessing to Lazarus. But he wasnít, he wouldnít even give him what was given to the dogs. That is the tragic selfishness that led to this rich manís demise. Sometimes we can forget the ìhungerî that other people still experience and overlook their needs because weíre ìfull.î However, thereís an antidote:

Antidote: Remember we are always blessed to be a blessing.

Q3: Have you ever intentionally/unintentionally built a wall to keep people out of your life, your church, your family, or your work? How is God initiating a change in your heart & what is/was the result?

Some years ago I worked with Covenant House Ministries, an outreach ministry in Fort Lauderdale, Florida that ministers to runaway teenagers and streetpeople. There I met Archie who was 28 years old and mentally retarded. He sold newspapers on street corners to earn a living and pay rent for a rundown room.

One night Archie was so excited to show me his new place. I followed him back along this dark alley with knocked out streetlamps until we finally got to his place. Archie opened the door, threw his arms wide and said, ìSee, Max! This is my place! Isnít it great? I got everything I need.î

I looked around this little square box of a room. The contents included a shower stall over in the corner on an elevated tile with a curtain around it. Another corner had a tiny refrigerator and a rickety little table with a couple of chairs and some chipped plates, a couple of canned goods, and a hotplate. There was an overstuffed chair on the floor with the stuffing coming out. And the centerpiece was a TV tray with a little black-and-white TV  that had a coat hanger for an antenna. That was the extent of Archieís empire, but he was so proud.

I thought to myself, This is far from ìgreatî! Yet this guy who had next to nothing felt he had everything he needed. As I looked into his room, I noticed that Bill was lying in his chair. (Bill was a hardcore street alcoholic.) I spent many a night just trying to pull Bill out of the shrubs where he had passed out. However, Bill didnít have any intention of getting better and he was going to drink himself to death. A good night for Bill was when he could find a quiet place to sleep off his drunkenness. On this night, he was laid out in Archieís easy chair. I asked Archie why he was hanging out with Bill. Archie looked at me with a sadness in his eyes that Iíll never forget. He said, ìMax, I thought you were a Christian.î I said, ìWell, I am Archie.î He said, ìWell, donít you understand? Now that I have everything that I need, it would be selfish of me not to share, wouldnít it?î

Do you hear what heís saying? When will we have everything we need? When will enough be enough? I canít think of a church that is as richly blessed as this one. And God is blessing us to be a blessing. God has put us in this position so we can make a huge difference in the lives of others.

Q4: How are you doing in this area? As God blesses your life, are you blessing others?

God asks us to choose to bless others with all that He blesses us. Thatís exactly what He commanded Israel to do: ìIt is too small a thing for You to be My servant to restore the tribes of Jacob and bring back those of Israel I have kept. I will also make You a light for the Gentiles, that You may bring My salvation to the ends of the earth.î (Isa. 49:6 NIV) God has blessed you, now itís our turn to turn around and shine His light by sharing the blessing.

So far weíve covered two reasons we build walls: to provide security and to keep people out. The final problem with building walls is that...

3.     Walls Block Our Vision. 

I have a very good friend named Jojo who lives in Manila. He has a beautiful home but it sits right next to a squatters camp. In that camp is an intensity of poverty thatís unimaginable to most people in this country. Jojoís solution was to build a high wall and put broken glass along the top. That way heís able to live his life and never see whatís over the wall.  

Unfortunately, like the rich man in the parable, we build walls to keep from seeing what we donít want to see. But protecting ourselves from short-term suffering can have long-term, even eternal consequences. Thatís what fell through for the rich man in the parable: ìSo he called to him, ëFather Abraham, have pity on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this fire.î (Luke 16:24 NIV)

The rich man died, went to hell, and even then didnít catch what God wanted Him to see. He had been aware all along of Lazarus at his gate. He even knew his name, yet he chose to stay behind the safety of his wealth. And even in death he didnít see what he missed. You see, God didnít expect the rich man to take care of everyone in the city. He just expected the rich man to see those that He had placed directly in his path, even on his doorstep.

ìWe love because He first loved us. If anyone says, ëI love God,í yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen.î (1 John 4:19-20 NIV)

Antidote: See the world with spiritual eyes.

Albert Schweitzer, a very rich and prominent man did just that when he heard this same story of Lazarus and the rich man. He made a decision to set aside everything to reach the people of Africa because to him the ìrich manî is our western civilization and ìLazarus outside the gateî was Africa. If you want to love Jesus, first love those who you can see. Ask God to show you who Heís put on your doorstep.

Q5: Who is ìLazarus outside the gateî of your life? Who has God placed on the doorstep of your life so that He can use you to minister to them?

New Hope is a great church and one of the things that make us a great church is that we are already literally without wallsówe donít have a permanent facility. And Iím excited about the fact that we are not preoccupied with getting a building. Rather we are preoccupied with how we can get outside the walls to minister to people in our world.

When eternity came, the rich man and Lazarus discovered an important truth. God indeed built a wallóa wall that could not be penetrated. On one side are those, like Lazarus, whom God received unto Himself. And on the other side are those, like the rich man, in eternal punishment.

Letís agree together to become a church without walls. Perhaps you realize that God has been calling you to step outside of your comfort zone to make a difference in the lives of people around you. Perhaps the Lord has been laying some people right on your doorstep that you havenít seen. Or maybe you have seen them but just havenít been sure if God was calling you. Will you step out from behind your walls and make a difference today?

Final Q: What most impacted you today & what will you do to be a blessing to others?

Make a difference by contacting our Community Care Ministry or Pastor Mark Hovland. Contact www.eNewhope.org or (808) 842.4242 ext. 408. Be a blessing & be blessed!

Summarized by our fearless volunteer leader, Rhonda Pang!