C275 9/3/61
© Project Winsome International, 2000

UNDER NEW MANAGEMENT
Dr. John Allan Lavender
I Cor. 6:19b - 20a

"Who's going to be boss?" is a question which has probably produced more conflict, among more people, in more areas of life, than any other question ever raised. It's been the source of tension
in industry - between labor and management,
in education - between the teacher and the taught,
in government - between the Congress and the White House,
in the home - between husband and wife, between parent and child.

A little boy who had tried to settle the issue "Who's going to be boss?" in his favor, and lost, was being punished for his disobedience by having to eat dinner in the kitchen, while his mom and dad ate in the dining room. As the parents began their meal they heard the little boy pray,
"Lord, I thank thee for preparing a table before me in the presence of mine enemies!"

The question of, "Who's going to be boss?" in the home, is not only related to parent and child, it's also a vital issue between husband and wife. I heard of one woman who resolved the conflict by agreeing to meet her husband halfway. She said, "I'll admit I'm right, if you will admit you're wrong."

It must have been the same family who decided to settle the problem of "Who's going to be boss?" by having the wife solve all the little problems, and the husband all the big ones. For instance, she was to decide such matters as where they would live. What kind of furniture they would buy. What color car they would drive. How much money was to be spent by whom, on what, and so forth. While he was to decide such things as, shall we admit Red China into the United nations? or shall we resume nuclear testing, and similar burning issues.

The mention of Red China reminds us that the question of "Who's going to be the boss?" is the source of great conflict in our world. As we trace through the chronicles of mankind's adventures on this earth, we discover it is this selfsame question which has kept the pot boiling between peoples and nations from the beginning of time.

It is a simple fact, as I have said that "Who's going to be boss?" is a question which has probably produced more conflict, among more people, in more areas of life, than any other question ever asked.

Nowhere is this more evident, or true, than in the relationship between us and our God. It was a desire to be boss that got Adam into trouble in the first place, and it's that same instance which has been getting the sons and daughters of Adam into trouble ever since.

Even after we become Christians the conflict often goes on. And this, in spite of the fact that we have indicated by our surrender to Christ we are prepared to let him be boss. We have decided to let God be God in our lives. We have submitted to being Under New Management.

Paul describes this ongoing conflict in the 7th chapter of Romans when he says,
"The things I want to do, I don't do. The things I don't want to do, I do, Oh wretched man that I am."
And he was wretched. He was downright miserable. So are we, if we fail to fully and finally resolve the issue of "Who's going to be boss?" in our life.

A little later on in his spiritual growth Paul was able to say, "I am crucified with Christ"and "through Christ I am more than conqueror."
He was saying, "When I gave up me, I began to really live. I learned the secret of true happiness,
and I want you know it too."
So, on the basis of what he had learned about victorious Christian living, he said to his beloved church in Corinth --
that group of believers who were so much like us,
always trying to carry water on both shoulders,
always attempting to be a "Mr. In-Between,"
always casting a wistful glance over their shoulder at the past,
winking at the world --
to that little band of bewildered believers who couldn't understand why they never really found the peace and happiness they were persuaded Christians should enjoy, to them and to us he said,

"Look, the secret of happiness is to let go and let God be God in your life. It means recognizing you are Under New Management. You no longer belong to you, you belong to Christ." Or, to put it as he did in our text, "You are not your own, you are bought with a price."

For some strange reason there are those of us who do not like the idea of being under God's management. As one young girl said to me recently, "If I surrendered to God, I'd be at his mercy."
She said it with such vehemence, it was clear she was really upset at the thought. We might not put it as she did, but judging from our reticence to let God be God in our lives, it would seem we share the same fear. What we need to learn, among other things, is that we having nothing to fear in this arrangement. There are some real advantages to being Under New Management, if it's God's management!

The Advantages
For one thing, from your moment of full surrender, it means -

You No Longer Have Anything Worth Worrying About.
As sheep are led by their shepherd, so, too, God will guide you into green pastures and beside still waters.
As ships are steered by their pilot, so, too, God will be "a lamp unto your feet and a light unto your path."
As children are protected by their parents, so, too, God will guard and guide you, for now you are his own precious possession, his own special responsibility.

One of the things I shall really miss in leaving Chicago is the privilege of serving as chaplain of the Washington and Jane Smith Home, a few blocks down the street. It has been a form of service which has brought great joy into my life. I've learned much more from those dear people than they ever learned from me.

One of the things I learned is that one need not have any hesitancy in entering such a home. One of my friends, Mr.Spencer, a man in his eighties and one of the old-timers in the home, put me straight on that one. He and I were discussing the reticence some people have to enter a retirement home, and "Spence" said, "You know, Dr. John, my wife and I used to feel the same way. We thought we were going to give up our freedom. In reality we gained it. We had to give up everything we ever owned, but in exchange we are guaranteed everything we'll ever need. I've made a number of investments in my day -- some of them turned out good, and some not so good -- but deciding to enter this home was the finest investment we ever made. It freed our minds from all anxiety about the future. I'm as sure as I'm sitting here, having nothing to worry about has added ten years to our lives."
This is not intended to be an argument for moving into a retirement home -- although for many folks that would be the wisest possible course of action in their golden years -- but it illustrates the fact that we really have nothing to fear when we let go, and let God be God.

"Being at his mercy," as the young girl put it, is not bad, it is good! It means turning over everything we are and have to him, but in return we are given the right to expect everything we need from him.

"My God shall supply all your needs according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus," said Paul.
In other words, when we come Under New Management, that is, God's management, we are truly secure! We have nothing more to worry about, and instead of losing our freedom, we gain it!

But the advantages of being Under New Management are only half the story. There is the second half, and it's this part which causes us to go slow in letting God be God.

Disadvantages
I call this side of the coin "the disadvantages of being a Christian." It focuses the fact we are not our own. We have been bought with a price, and therefore, we belong to the buyer.

You see, dear friends, to be Under New Management implies, and involves a transference of ownership. This is something many of us do not want to admit. We prefer living as if we were still our own.

We're forever talking about our "rights" as children of God, but we say very little about our responsibilities as children of God. We want all of the benefits of this relationship, but we want none of the burdens. We learn to our chagrin that, like love and marriage, you can't have one without the other.

"Discipline and discovery are always born twins," says Ron Meredith. So are God's blessing and our obedience. You can't have one without the other. I'm persuaded the primary reason for our frustration as Christians, and our inability to really excel in the joy of being Christ's, is that we are willing to give God just about everything but the one thing he really wants -- our obedience.

In the Old Testament there is a place where Samuel says, "To obey is better than sacrifice."
He's pointing out the clear-cut truth that what God really wants from us is simple, unadorned, unadulterated obedience. And, that if we give him that, there will be no need for sacrifice.

If Adam and Eve had obeyed God there would have been no need for them to bring him an offering. Many of us go through life with a self-imposed sense of sacrifice in an endeavor to buy off our conscience, when what we need to is obey God in the first place, so we would not have a guilty conscience to buy off. "To obey is better than sacrifice."

Some Reasons For Our Difficulty
Why, then, don't we obey him? Sometimes we fail God and ourselves because --

We Are Afraid of What Others Will Say.
Paul Rees writes --
"Everybody likes to be talked up.
Most people like to be talked about.
But nobody likes to be talked against.
So we buckle at the knees and bow down to the great god called: the crowd.
(And we do obeisance before the idol called) 'They . . . they . . . they!'

"They decide what clothes we shall wear.
What books we shall read..
What TV program we shall view.

"They decide whether we shall drink or not.
Whether we shall rate success in terms of money or in terms of dedicated manhood.
Whether we shall behold the fair face of Jesus and cry, 'Away with him'
Or whisper worshipfully, 'My Lord, and my God!'"

At other times we chafe under the yoke of Christ because --

We Fear We Are Getting Short-changed.
We are afraid that if we let God be God we may not get the best from life, we assume, as Ron Meredith suggests,
"The person who takes a shortcut, who chips the corners off the cube of
truth to watch it roll is the one who gets there ahead of us. We sort of suspect
the evil way, in the long run, brings more happiness than the right way.
We discover ourselves hanging in suspension, and we never quite find solid
ground under our feet."

But, beloved, as you well know, that's not a happy way to live. To be a Christian at all means we must be a Christian with all. It's a lifetime business. We must play for keeps. It means not only accepting the "rights" of sonship, but also the responsibilities.

Admittedly that won't be easy. As a matter of fact, it may very well put us at a disadvantage sometimes. I can hear some of you saying what I.G. Thomas says in his searching bit of verse--

"When Christ spake that quiet command,
'Follow me,'
Did he mean I must go to the tree?
Did he mean I must tread
O'er the path those soldiers led
To the place of martyred dead, Calvary?

Did he mean I must go to the crowd,
And proclaim his love and sacrifice
Out loud?
Did he mean I must be
Humble, meek, and mild, as he,
Preaching immortality
Beyond the shroud?

Did he mean I must do everything
As he did ? Take the plaudits
And the sting?
Must I sacrifice my all
If I answer to his call,
Drink the wormwood and the gall,
Like my king?"

Yes! That's exactly what he meant. You answer, "He's asking too much, pastor. If I really took Christ seriously in business it might cost me my livelihood. After all, a fella's gotta live!"

Do you know what I think Christ's answer to that attitude would be? I think Jesus would say:
"Do you really? Have to live? I mean. Suppose I had said 'a fella's gotta live' when I was confronted with the cross. Where would you be now?"

There is only one 'must' for the disciples of Jesus -- that they be true to him. Christians are not here to succeed! Or survive! We are here to be stewards! Only one thing is required of a steward -- that he be faithful.

If you think that means being soft and wishy-washy, allowing the world to push you around, the you don't know my Jesus. You might profit from reading Bruce Barton's book, The man Nobody Knows. Jesus was tender, yes, indescribably so, but always in the right situation, for the right reason, and in the right manner.

But he also knew how to be tough. The other day I read of a coast guard company which had been called upon to rescue survivors on a sinking ship. It was a fearfully stormy night. The risks in attempting a rescue were great. One member of the crew was very fearful and groaned, "But if we go out there we'll never get back." His commanding officer heard the comment and looking him square in the eye said, "Sailor, we don't have to get back, we only have to go!"

That was a hard saying. But it's that kind of spirit that wins. It was men like that who tamed the seas, and Christians with that kind of spirit are invincible. They make a difference in the world, and what is more, by giving God their obedience they gain his blessing.

As Vance Havner observes,
"They have nothing, and yet they possess everything. The world offers
them this, or that, but they reply, 'You can't give us anything, for we
have everything.' The devil threatens to take everything from them,
but they answer, 'You can't do that, for we don't have anything.' He tries
to kill them, but they say, 'You can't do that, for we are dead already,
and besides, to die is gain."

They have learned what it means to be free. Truly free. Their lives are hid with Christ in God. They are no longer concerned with either surviving, or succeeding. They are stewards, and they know that as stewards they do not have to live, they just have to be true!

It seems to me this is a most important word for a time like this. We live in a period of history when some folks have placed a pretty high value on surviving. The other day I heard a chap say,
"I'd rather be red than dead." As if the really important thing is to survive, no matter what.

Where are the Patrick Henrys who will call for "liberty or death"? Who will pledge their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honor on the premise that death is better than bondage. Who will say to Krushchev's taunting question -- "Must millions of Americans die to save a single city called Berlin?"-- "Yes! If that's what it takes. For in reality, Mr Krushchev, the real question is not America or Berlin, it's whether this shall be a world of law or lawlessness, godliness or godlessness, liberty or tyranny?"

I, for one, would rather be dead,than see my children and my children's children grow up red, with the empty atheism it implies.

Just as there is a great need for people of courage and conviction on the world scene, so, too, there is a desperate need for people of principle in management and labor. In education and agriculture. In communications and public service. People who are prepared to place their hides in jeopardy for the sake of what they believe to be right, and good, and true.

It is my earnest conviction that such people must, first of all, come from the church. As Christians we know what it means to be dead to self. By our example we can show the way. If we don't do it, may God have mercy on us!
"You are not your own, you are bought with a price."
What is that price? I think you know.

In his book, Who Goes There? J. Wallace Hamilton tells how several years ago, Marc Connelly wrote a strange and moving play for black actors, called "Green Pastures." Some folks thought it was sacrilegious, but others saw in this crude portrayal a revelation of the mightiest truth to ever dawn upon the human soul.

One of the really touching scenes in the play is concerned with the prophet Hosea. The children of Israel have rejected God's management of their lives, both individually and collectively. As a result, they are in bondage. In spite of the pleading of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, "De Lawd" refuses to have anything more to do with his disobedient children.

Every day the three old Patriarchs come into his office in the sky imploring. "De Lawd" is adamant in his refusal. He had offered to guide his people, but they refused him, so they will have to put up with the results. He stands at the window of heaven listening to the prayers and pleadings of his people in their bondage, but he calls to them in a loud voice of righteous anger,
"I ain't comin' I tell ya. I ain't comin' down no mo'."

But there's one man who won't take "no" for an answer. His name's Hosea. He keeps walkin' back and forth in front of the "De Lawd's" office, deliberately throwing a shadow across "De Lawd's" rolltop desk. When "De Lawd" inquires who it is, Gabriel tells him it is Hosea, the man who, when his wife left him and went bad, still loved her, took her back and gave her another chance.

The story of Hosea's love really gets to the heart of "De Lawd." Finally he can't stand it no longer. He walks to the window of heaven, looks down for a long, long time. And then you hear him say, "I'm comin' chillun.' I'm comin'." And then, with that sweet and simple touch characteristic of the entire play, Marc Connelly has "De Lawd" turn to Gabriel and say,
"Look after things here, Gabriel, I'm goin' down to give 'em another chance. I'll see you Saturday night."

But it isn't that easy. The price of redemption which must be paid is very great. In the final scene of that inspired play, someone stands at the gates of heaven, and lookin' down from the battlements of the sky to a hill outside a city wall, he cries, "Look! Dey' gonna make 'um carry dat cross up a hill. Dat's an awful burden for one man ta carry."

And it is! But such was the price Jesus paid to purchase our redemption.
"(And) must Jesus bear the cross alone,
And all the world go free?
No, there's a cross for every one,
And there's a cross for me". . . and thee!