(ill) I was channel-surfing the other night and came across something called "the Extreme Games." From what I could tell, this was a bunch of teenagers trying to do outlandish stunts on every variation of a skateboard engineers could come up with. What caught my attention was the excited voice of an announcer as a man left the starting gate into a half-pipe on a snowboard.

"He just stomped a backside 940 into a layout 720 with a goofyfoot toe-hold."

All I could say was "Huh?" I'm a sports fanatic, but I didn't know if the guy on the snowboard had just done something wonderful ? or if he'd stepped on a tropical insect. But as I continued to watch and listen I discovered that extreme sports fans have their own vocabulary. If you aren't a follower or participant ? the language makes no sense. But for the extreme minded - stomping it, 540's and goofyfooters all have specific meanings.

T/S: I guess every generation - in an attempt to rebel against the establishment, or just create their own identity - develop their own vocabulary. From beatniks and hippies to preppies to yuppies to hip hop ? rebellion has a language. But when the people in those movements grew up, they passed the mantle onto another generation, who promptly developed their own unique expressions.

This has significance for us, because at the core Jesus was a radical. A rebel. He came and turned the world upside down, changing religious traditions, personal relationships and politcial expectations. And the counter-culture movement that He spawned is still growing and turning the world upside down, 2000 years later ? one life at a time.

In the days leading up to His death, Jesus made clear to His disciples that the commitment He was asking from them was total and complete. While the radical faith He requested appeared to come at a high cost, the rewards were ?out of this world.' The Kingdom of God, both on earth and eternally in heaven, comes from a radical faith. The Kingdom still is the reward for trusting Jesus with your life.

As we build momentum toward Easter, I want us to search the Gospel of Luke, looking at the last days of Jesus' ministry, for teachings that announce the radical new faith He was calling us to. As we do, our goal is going to be to recapture the spirit of authenticity that tradition and conformity often stifle. Our goal is to ignite a passion to follow Jesus, to love Him above all else, to buy into His rebellion against the world. To have our commitment challenged. And to re-affirm the priceless and precious rewards the Jesus promised to those who follow Him.

How interesting to me, that just after Jesus celebrates the Last Supper with His disciples, foreshadowing the imminent arrival of the Kingdom, that the Twelve begin to argue about who was going to be the greatest in that Kingdom. And Jesus teaches them that Kingdom would come to those who saw life from a totally new perspective. Luke 22:24-30.

As He does, Jesus addresses this radical faith to the very questions that haunt the human heart.

America was built on the back of a principle we have all studied in history classes, called Manifest Destiny. The idea was that our future as a country was to occupy the land from sea to shining sea. For the first 100 years of America's life, that future was the guiding principle of our policies.

Destiny may not be a word that occupies much space in our language today, but it is still a question that occupies a large chunk of the human psyche. What does the future hold for me? Where am I going? Those are questions that science and philosophy and religion all seek to answer. And we've come up with a lot of different answers: from reincarnation to virgins in paradise to nirvana.

Problem is, all that any of those philosophies and man-made religions offered was an undefined hope that you could reach that place. If you could be "good enough." If you could become "enlightened enough." If you could learn "enough wisdom." Or if you become "self-actualized" -- THEN, you could enter the paradise room of the next life. What is good enough? How do I know if I am self-actualized? I'm pretty sure I'm not wise enough? So is my next life going to be as a stray cat?

Now Jesus is talking about this coming Kingdom, so His disciples start to wonder who gets to be top dog in it. Who's been the "wisest?" Who's been "good" beyond everyone else's "good?" What have we done so that heaven belongs to us? And Jesus points out two things that still resonate among us today: 1) Heaven was a gift of grace from a loving father-God. And, 2) It was promised to those who trusted in Jesus with all of their life. ??? Radical!

Heaven - was not earned. It was given. Heaven was not deserved. But it was promised, as a fruit of grace, which makes Jesus and Christianity's answer to the question of our future unique among all the noise of the world. Heaven was not wishful thinking, it was a promised hope, available to anyone willing to abandon this world and its ways, and follow the radical path of God. The path that said servants were more valuable than kings. Slaves greater than governors. The radical belief that our ultimate goal is not fulfillment on earth, but in heaven ? in eternity.

(ill) If you are a Southern Gospel follower, you know that one of the hottest projects on the market right now is Bill Gaither's new video about heaven. Last night, at the Gaither Homecoming, Janet Paschal sang a song about heaven. Ít's not about now. It's not about here. It's about there when there will be no more fear. When the mysteries made clear. When the then becomes now, and the there become here." Our destiny is tied to our destination. Jesus' promise to faithful followers, was that our destination was Heaven.

In a day when uncertainty reigns. When the news every night threatens to rock us with stories of war and violence, there is a certainty "reserved from God." Heaven.

Heaven may seem precious to you because of what will not be there. The Bible says there will be no war or violence. No sin, sadness, sickness, sorrow, death and tears. No harsh words. No broken hearts. No cancer. No strokes. No one will be blind or riding in wheelchairs.

(ill) Robin and I know a lady names Regina King, who's a wonderful piano play. Her favorite song to play is I will See Jesus. Because Regina has been blind from birth. But one day she'll close her sightless eyes here, and open them to see the precious face of Our Savior.

Maybe heaven for you, like Vestal Goodman, is going to be a place of reunion. George Younce said, "The longer I live on earth, the more reasons I have waiting for me to go to heaven." Part of the perfect joy that is God's heaven, comes from His presence. There will be no need of light, because the Son of God will shine so brightly, all other lights will cease to exist. And in the bright light of Jesus' glory. We will be reunited with all of our loved ones who share our radical faith. Together we will spend eternity praising God, loving God and worshipping God.

Your idea of what comes next is too small, Jesus said. Let go of your thoughts of yourself, and take hold of what I have in store for you. You want o be great now, but in Me, you will be great forever.

Dallas Willard once wrote: Why would God want to be God of your eternity, if He could not be God of your today?" You've heard about the little boy, withering under the gaze of his preacher, who asked him, "Son, don't you want to go to heaven?" And the little boy said, "Do you mean now?"

Life changes when your destiny changes. When heaven is the promise that undergirds your hope, then you have the freedom to deal with what's going on today. And the fact is .. there's a lot going on today. Even if you are willing to put your eggs in the basket of God's promised heaven, that doesn't change the fact that we all have to live today. And tomorrow. And as many tomorrows as we have until we go to heaven. The disciples provide us with the example of persistent, faithful living. Jesus commends them, by saying:

That's really the heart of the matter: how do I live today? In the face of struggles, in the face of sorrow, in the face of grief, uncertainty, pain and suffering ? how do I live? So many people answer this the wrong way. They power their living with alcohol and prescription drugs that numb their pain. They mask their inability to endure, in the pursuit of immediate gratification - satisfying their lust and lonliness in pleasure or in an addiction to entertainment.

Jesus never promised that a radical faith would deliver you from trouble. Quite the opposite, Jesus had a pretty radical idea, that our faith would cause us trouble, but that our faith would see us through that trouble.

When Jesus compliments His disciples, by applauding the fact that they stayed with Him, when the worldly rewards of fame and power and wealth beckoned ? He emphasizes just how radical our faith is supposed to be. Instead of avoiding trouble, we would embrace it in Jesus power, because it was in that testing, that we became like Him.

We continually recall before God our Father the things you have done because of your faith and the work you have done because of your love. And we thank him that you continue to be strong because of your hope in our Lord Jesus Christ. 1 Thes. 1:3 (NCV)

Talk about counter-culture! Talk about radical! Christianity is not a movement to make you able to live life without trouble, it is a movement that offers a way to live life better through the troubles that are inevitable! Do you trust Jesus with your everyday life? Believe that he offers strength and wisdom and peace and joy? Even when things are not going well?

(ill) One of the tightropes you walk as a parent, I'm discovering, is balancing the tension between protecting your children and allowing them the space and room to grow and make decisions for themselves. One of the foundations of teaching our children to become mature and independent, is for them to be absolutely certain that we are behind them and supporting them. That there is nothing they can get into that will cause us to abandon them.

T/S; That's the power we are to face life with. The love of Jesus that cannot be seperated from us by any power on heaven or earth. The presence of Jesus, that He Himself promised us, until the end of the age. The direction of the Holy Spirit, our seal and pledge until that day, when we no longer will have to live by faith, because all that we hoped for will be in front of us. Then, John says, we shall see Jesus, just as He is.

Some messages are about the way we should behave. Some, like today .. are about the way we should believe. Because it is only by believing correctly, that we can ever behave correctly. And our behavior points out that we are struggling with beliefs. When the social indicators demonstrate that followers of Jesus don't act significantly different than unbelievers, it highlights the core of this teaching: you cannot embrace Jesus half-heartedly.

Jesus was preparing the twelve apostles for His death later that week. Aand in the midst of thee fear and doubt that would blanket them, this message: TRUST ME! I'm HERE!

We need to trust Jesus ? with our marriages.

We need to trust Jesus .. with our children.

We need to trust Jesus ? with our health.

We need to trust Jesus ? with our economy.

We need to trust Jesus ? with our President and our leaders.

We need to trust Jesus ? with Iraq and North Korea.

There's going to be struggles. There's going to be trouble. But God is still God, and He's still o His throne. And that changes how we are to live. Not in fear but in faith! Not alone, but with Jesus.

This idea holds the key to developing and surrendering to a radical faith. The idea of WHY? After all, if there is no heaven, or if heaven cannot be guaranteed, why shouldn't I live for the moment? Why shouldn't I experience every pleasure of this world?

And if I am looking out for myself, why shouldn't I live with the goal of avoiding pain? If the only strength I have to depend on is my own, why shouldn't I save myself, and not waste my time or resources on others? Wwhy shouldn't I look out for #1, if no one else is going to?

The foundation of Jesus' call to you and me, to live our lives by a radical faith in Him,, is the understanding that life is not about us. There is no more radical idea on earth than that. Life is not about you.

(ill) If there is any lasting effect that the horrifying events of September 11th have left on America, it is the liingering question of WHY? Why am I here? Why do I struggle, if all of it can disappear? And just as certainly as those two towers of human achievment came crashing down, no one can deny the realization that crashed down upon all of us ? nothing is forever. Man's greatest monuments can be destroyed in a heartbeat.

(ill) When Robin and I moved to Richmond, I learned this ? again. We hauled truck loads of stuff to Goodwill. We emptied boxes of old files and discarded stuff into a huge bonfire. Stuff that I thought I couldn't live without, became fuel for a how dog roast.

Stuff doesn't last. Accomplishments are forgotten. Trophies tarnish. Treasures dwindle or decay. And people die. So what's the point? What's the purpose?

The point is to become like Jesus? to learn to live like the Son of God. Becausee in the end, it's about Him. About giving the Father glory in the name of Jesus. That's why the Bible says that at the end of time ? before God gets around to looking at every word spoken and every deed done? before the judgement that every person who ever lived will go through ? before God gets to us ? every knee will bow and every tongue will confess ? Jesus Christ is Lord!

Because it's not about us ? it's about Him!

The purpose of my life and yours is to bring glory and praise to God. Nothing you can know or believe is more important than this. Any other point to your life that takes priority over this, will fail you. Any other focus of your life that preceeds this, will cause you to misstep and stumble and fall.

(ill) Let me tell you how this has come home to me this week. As we sat up with Robin's grandmother, who is dying .. and she's not dying a pretty death. Her heart is failing .. not I one fell swoop ? but day by day, so that her lungs are filling up with fluid. What were once simple tasks ? going to the bathroom, putting on her clothes .. now are huge endeavors that require help.

And this dear old saint looked at me, and smiled softly, and said "What in the world do you think is God's point in leaving me here?"

I've heard that question a dozens of times ? as I have been with people who know that death is near, but not here.

I've heard that questions dozeens of times from people in the prime of life ? whose relationships have crumbled, or who have suffered terrible loss.

I've heard it dozeens of times from peeople who feel alone, powerless and unable to deal with one more day.

At some point in every life ? prompted by different circumstances .. each of us will wonder .. and queestion God ?"Why am I here?"

The answer is the same. Because God chose you to live .. He knew you before you were formed in your mothers' womb. He loved you with an everlasting love. He wanted you to love Him back .. to bring Him glory by living your life, trusting in Him.

So that even when this life hurt you, in your pain you could trust His love, and still love Him .. and He would receive glory.

Even when this life was a struggle, in your weakness you could trust His strength .. and He would receive glory.

When this life was unexplainable, you could trust in His wisdom and life by faith in Him.

His invitation is to a radical faith. A faith that that in any circumstancee allows Him to be God.