November 25, 2007 Stewardship
Last Sunday after Pentecost (Christ the King)
Colossians 1:11-20
1:11 May you be made strong with all the strength that comes from his glorious power, and may you be prepared to endure everything with patience, while joyfully
1:12 giving thanks to the Father, who has enabled you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the light.
1:13 He has rescued us from the power of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of his beloved Son,
1:14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.
1:15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation;
1:16 for in him all things in heaven and on earth were created, things visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or powers--all things have been created through him and for him.
1:17 He himself is before all things, and in him all things hold together.
1:18 He is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that he might come to have first place in everything.
1:19 For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell,
1:20 and through him God was pleased to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, by making peace through the blood of his cross.
First Place
First Service Introduction:
[He was not too well-educated and his manner was somewhat crude and rough, but he became a Christian and was on fire for the Lord. He constantly pestered his pastor to help him be of some genuine service to his church. In desperation, the pastor gave him a list of ten people, saying, “These are members who seldom attend services; some are prominent men of the city. Contact them any way you can and try to get them to be more faithful. Use the church stationary to write letters if you want, but get them back in church.” He accepted the challenge with enthusiasm. About three weeks later, a letter arrived from a prominent physician whose name was on the list: Please find enclosed a one thousand dollar check to make up for my missed offerings. I’m sorry for missing worship so much, but be assured I am going to be present every Sunday from now on and will not by choice miss services again. Sincerely, M.B. Jones, MD. P.S. Would you kindly tell your secretary that there is only one “t” in dirty and no “c” in skunk”? (James S. Hewett)
Sometimes, when it comes to stewardship Sundays, people feel as guilty as a dirty skunk, or perhaps the pastor is viewed as a dirty skunk because of his or her tactics to get people to give.]
Second Service Introduction:
[A man called the church and asked to speak to the Head Hog at the Trough. The secretary said, “Who?” The man replied, “I want to speak to the Head Hog at the Trough!” Sure now that she had heard correctly, the secretary said, “Sir, if you mean our pastor, you will have to treat him with more respect – and ask for ‘The Reverend’ or ‘Pastor.’ But certainly, you cannot refer to him as the Head Hog at the Trough!” At this, the man came back, “Oh, I see. Well, I have ten thousand dollars I was thinking about donating to the Building Fund.” Secretary: “Hold the line; I think the Big Pig just walked in the door.” (James S. Hewett)
It is interesting what one will do for money, isn’t it. Even churches can fall prey to compromise or to using unfair tactics.]
I read about a pastor who announced one Sunday that he had made a new offering box for the weekly collection of the tithes and offerings. He claimed that it was designed to encourage people to become better stewards of their money. “This new box,” he explained, “has some interesting features. When you drop in a check or paper money in large amounts, the box makes no sound at all. Put a quarter in and it rings like a bell. A dime blows a whistle, and a penny fires a shot. When you put in nothing, the box takes your picture. (James S. Hewett)
Now, I’m not too keen on this method, because giving should never be forced. The Bible says, “Each person should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver (2 Corinthians 9:7).” Giving should flow from a grateful heart that understands that blessing is a result of God’s abundant giving.
Giving should also be proportionate to one’s ability to give. If you are not able to give much, or have no income at all, then God understands that. And whether you are able to give little or much, give from a grateful heart, a heart that is thankful for God’s provisions.
The picture-taking box does illustrate one point. If you are able to give and give nothing, that, my friends, is a spiritual problem. If you are able to tithe, to give 10% of your income, and you do not, that, too, is a spiritual problem. Give in a way that truly represents your ability to give.
It happened one time after a pastor had make an appeal in church for a great and worthy cause, that a certain woman, a member of the church, came to him and handed him a check for $50, asking at the same time if her gift was satisfactory. The pastor immediately replied, “If it represents you.”
There was a moment of soul-searching thought and she asked to have the check returned to her. She left with it and a day or two later she returned handing the pastor a check for $5,000 and again came the same question, “Is my gift satisfactory?” The pastor gave the same answer as before, “If it represents you.” As before, a truth seemed to be driving deeply. After a few moments of hesitation she took back the check and left. Later in the week she came again with a check. That time it was for $50,000. As she placed it in the pastor’s hand, she said, “After earnest, prayerful thought, I have come to the conclusion that this gift does represent me and I am happy to give it. (John Lavender)
I do not know if this check represented a tithe. The Old Testament teaches that the tithe, 10%, of one’s income is the standard of giving.
There was a knock on the door of the hut occupied by a missionary in Africa. Answering, the missionary found one of the native boys holding a large fish in his hands. The boy said, Reverend, you taught us what tithing is, so here – I’ve brought you my tithe.” As the missionary gratefully took the fish, he questioned the young lad, “If this is your tithe, where are the other nine fish?” At this, the boy beamed and said, “Oh, they’re still in the river. I’m going back to catch them now.” (James S. Hewett)
This is faith! God always rewards such a faith. Try it and see! I have tithed my income for some time now. I believe that God has blessed me greatly because of that faithful commitment. If you tithe, you know what I am talking about.
The New Testament does not name a specific amount that one should give, but it does talk regularly about sacrificial giving, sometimes giving one’s all.
Financial giving is just one aspect of stewardship. Perhaps this would be a good time to define stewardship. Stewardship is the understanding that God is the owner of all things, and that we are simply the stewards of all that we have. What is a steward? Probably the best word for steward is “manager.” We are not the owners of our things, our talents, our money or even our family. We are managers of these things – of all that God owns.
I like what John Wesley had to say about stewardship:
When the Possessor of heaven and earth brought you into being and placed you in this world, He placed you here not as an owner but as a steward – as such He entrusted you for a season with goods of various kinds – but the sole property of these still rests in Him, nor can ever be alienated from Him. As you are not your own but His, such is likewise all you enjoy.
This coincides so nicely with Paul’s statement in Colossians that we share in the inheritance of the saints made possible by God the Father. We manage that inheritance now, and through Christ’s great sacrifice, we will inherit all things when we reach our home in heaven.
One Sunday morning the pastor encouraged his congregation to consider the potential of the church. He told them, “With God’s help we can see the day when this church will go from crawling to walking.” The people were a spirited bunch and responded, “Let the church walk, Preacher, let the church walk.”
He continued, “And when the church begins to walk, next the church can begin to run.” And the people responded, “Let the church run, preacher, let the church run.”
The pastor continued, “And finally the church can move from running to flying. Oh, the church can fly! But of course, that’s going to take lots of money, lots of time, lots of talent and lots of gifts for that to happen!”
The congregation grew quiet, and from the back, some mumbled, “Le the church crawl, preacher, let the church crawl.” (James S. Hewett)
The church does crawl without a good understanding of stewardship. But the church that practices good stewardship – a people putting the Son in first place and wisely managing the abundance of the Father – such a church will fly. I guarantee it!!!
Monday, November 26, 2007
Sunday, November 18, 2007
November 18, 2007 "Daily Grind"
(2 Th 3:6 NRSV) Now we command you, beloved, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, to keep away from believers who are living in idleness and not according to the tradition that they received from us.
(2 Th 3:7 NRSV) For you yourselves know how you ought to imitate us; we were not idle when we were with you,
(2 Th 3:8 NRSV) and we did not eat anyone's bread without paying for it; but with toil and labor we worked night and day, so that we might not burden any of you.
(2 Th 3:9 NRSV) This was not because we do not have that right, but in order to give you an example to imitate.
(2 Th 3:10 NRSV) For even when we were with you, we gave you this command: Anyone unwilling to work should not eat.
(2 Th 3:11 NRSV) For we hear that some of you are living in idleness, mere busybodies, not doing any work.
(2 Th 3:12 NRSV) Now such persons we command and exhort in the Lord Jesus Christ to do their work quietly and to earn their own living.
(2 Th 3:13 NRSV) Brothers and sisters, do not be weary in doing what is right.
Susie's husband had been slipping in and out of a coma for several months. Things looked grim, but she was by his bedside every single day. One day as he slipped back into consciousness, he motioned for her to come close to him. She pulled the chair close to the bed and leaned her ear close to be able to hear him.
"You know" he whispered, his eyes filling with tears, "you have been with me through all the bad times. When I got fired, you stuck right beside me. When my business went under, there you were. When we lost the house, you were there. When I got shot, you stuck with me. When my health started failing, you were still by my side. "And you know what?"
"What, dear?" she asked gently, smiling to herself.
"I think you're bad luck."
Now, I don’t believe in luck, but this Joke was just too good to pass up! I believe that everything happens for a reason, a reason totally unassociated with luck. Some of us might feel like we have nothing but bad luck, especially when it comes to career choice and work environment. As a matter of a fact, one survey found that the average number of jobs an American worker has held by age 40 is 8 (Charis Conn (Ed.), What Counts: The Complete Harper's Index.)
Bad luck is not behind the dissatisfaction. One researcher estimates that 50 to 80% of Americans are in a job that does not match their abilities. Perhaps that is the reason that the average worker will have a complete career change not just once but 2 or even 3 times before they retire (Cynthia Spence in Homemade, May, 1989.)
I am sure that you have seen the bumper-sticker "I owe, I owe, so off to work I go." For a large amount of folks, this is the best reason they can muster for going to the job each day. My counsel to those who have not yet entered the workforce or are young enough or financially able to make a change: do what you love doing, regardless of the pay. I will tell you that no amount of money is worth an unfulfilling job.
What if we don’t have any other skills that would enable a career change? What if we can’t afford to take a cut in pay to find a fulfilling job? What do we do if we are stuck?
Paul gives us the key to change from the daily grind to glory. This applies to all of us – regardless of our job satisfaction – regardless of whether or not we work outside the home: "Whatever you do, do it for the glory of God” (First Corinthians 10:31).
Well-known preacher Harry Ironside shared the following story:
When I was a boy, I felt it was both a duty and a privilege to help my widowed mother make ends meet by finding employment in vacation time, on Saturdays and other times when I did not have to be in school. For quite a while I worked for a Scottish shoemaker, or "cobbler," as he preferred to be called, an Orkney man, named Dan Mackay. He was a forthright Christian and his little shop was a real testimony for Christ in the neighborhood. The walls were literally covered with Bible texts and pictures, generally taken from old-fashioned Scripture Sheet Almanacs, so that look where one would, he found the Word of God staring him in the face. There were John 3:16 and John 5:24, Romans 10:9, and many more.
On the little counter in front of the bench on which the owner of the shop sat, was a Bible, generally open, and a pile of gospel tracts. No package went out of that shop without a printed message wrapped inside. And whenever opportunity offered, the customers were spoken to kindly and tactfully about the importance of being born again and the blessedness of knowing that the soul is saved through faith in Christ. Many came back to ask for more literature or to inquire more particularly as to how they might find peace with God, with the blessed results that men and women were saved, frequently right in the shoe shop.
It was my chief responsibility to pound leather for shoe soles. A piece of cowhide would be cut to suite, then soaked in water. I had a flat piece of iron over my knees and, with a flat-headed hammer, I pounded these soles until they were hard and dry. It seemed an endless operation to me, and I wearied of it many times.
What made my task worse was the fact that, a block away, there was another shop that I passed going and coming to or from my home, and in it sat a jolly, godless cobbler who gathered the boys of the neighborhood about him and regaled them with lewd tales that made him dreaded by respectable parents as a menace to the community. Yet, somehow, he seemed to thrive and that perhaps to a greater extent than my employer, Mackay. As I looked in his window, I often noticed that he never pounded the soles at all, but took them from the water, nailed them on, damp as they were, and with the water splashing from them as he drove each nail in.
One day I ventured inside, something I had been warned never to do. Timidly, I said, "I notice you put the soles on while still wet. Are they just as good as if they were pounded?" He gave me a wicked leer as he answered, "They come back all the quicker this way, my boy!"
"Feeling I had learned something, I related the instance to my boss and suggested that I was perhaps wasting time in drying out the leather so carefully. Mr. Mackay stopped his work and opened his Bible to the passage that reads, "Whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of god."
"Harry," he said, "I do not cobble shoes just for the four bits and six bits (50c or 75c) that I get from my customers. I am doing this for the glory of God. I expect to see every shoe I have ever repaired in a big pile at the judgment seat of Christ, and I do not want the Lord to say to me in that day, 'Dan, this was a poor job. You did not do your best here.' I want Him to be able to say, 'Well done, good and faithful servant.'"
Then he went on to explain that just as some men are called to preach, so he was called to fix shoes, and that only as he did this well would his testimony count for God. It was a lesson I have never been able to forget. Often when I have been tempted to carelessness, and to slipshod effort, I have thought of dear, devoted Dan Mackay, and it has stirred me up to seek to do all as for Him who died to redeem me. (H. A. Ironside, Illustrations of Bible Truth, Moody Press, 1945, pp. 37-39.)
You work not for your boss, for your company, or for the profit margin; you work for Christ! This speaks not only to work environment; it speaks also to idleness.
What is that famous saying about idleness? Isn’t it “Idle hands are the devil’s workshop”? Why is that? Because when we intentionally pass up involvement, we make ourselves available for the problems that idleness brings: sloth, gossip, and waste of the gift called life. We were put on earth for a monumental reason: to grow into Christ-likeness and to help others do the same. Idleness is the greatest misuse of that intended purpose.
Last week I preached on heaven. Planet earth is the training ground for heaven. If we can’t be happy with the notion of Christian growth here – growth which entails worship, bible study and service - how will we ever be happy with heaven? Church is the number one avenue for putting your abilities and gifts to work. To do anything less is to miss out on God’s intention for your life. Paul was so adamant about it that he said that if a person doesn’t work, he or she should not be fed! Someone once said, “God gives the birds their food, but He doesn't throw it into their nests.” Work is essential to our livelihood both physically and mentally.
Unamuno, the Spanish philosopher, tells about the Roman aqueduct at Segovia, in his native Spain. It was built in 109 A.D. For eighteen hundred years, it carried cool water from the mountains to the hot and thirsty city. Nearly sixty generations of people drank from its flow.
Then came another generation, a recent one, who said, "This aqueduct is so great a marvel that it ought to be preserved for our children, as a museum piece. We shall relieve it of its centuries-long labor." They did; they laid modern iron pipes. They gave the ancient bricks and mortar a reverent rest. And the aqueduct began to fall apart. The sun beating on the dry mortar caused it to crumble. The bricks and stone sagged and threatened to fall. What ages of service could not destroy idleness disintegrated. (Resource, Sept./ Oct., 1992, p. 4.)
Not working when you can (please understand that there are valid reasons some can not work, due to physical or mental challenges) gives us too much time on our hands, which leads to poor use of time.
There used to be a sign in Sistersville, our last appointment, on the way out of town that read “Sistersville: Small but Busy.” Things have changed over the years; it is not a town that is busy as it used to be. Someone one day added to the sign: “Sistersville: Small but Busybodies!” Of course, the sign was removed. I think that someone who was hurt added to the sign. If you are from a small town or still live in one, you know how everyone knows or thinks they know everyone else’s business. This person was probably hurt by gossip, which is an outgrowth of having nothing better to do.
Work is essential to not only our physical and mental health, it is essential to our spiritual health. And, it makes a difference in the spiritual walks of others.
Paul wanted Christians to show the beauty of their faith in Christ by how they work. He even showed them in Thessalonica. He worked in their midst as a tent-maker, showing them the beauty of his faith as he worked for Christ.
The first governor-general of Australia was a man by the name of Lord Hopetoun. One of his most cherished possessions was a 300 year old ledger he had inherited from John Hope, one of his ancestors. Hope had owned a business in Edinburgh, where he first used this old ledger. When Lord Hopetoun received it, he noticed that it had inscribed on its front page this prayer, "O Lord, keep me and this book honest!" (Source Unknown.)
How common is employee dishonesty? According to one recent survey: Falsifying time sheets was admitted by 5.8% of workers. Stealing merchandise was admitted by 6.6%. Among people working in retail stores, 57% said they abused their employee-discount privileges. (Dr. John Clark, in Homemade, Nov, 1985.)
Time theft--deliberate waste and abuse of company time--costs the U.S. economy over $120 billion a year (Creative Management, in Homemade, May, 1985.)
In one survey of workers across the USA, nearly 85% said that they could work harder on the job. More than half claimed they could double their effectiveness "if (they) wanted to." (Managing the Equity Factor, R Huseman, J Hatfield, 1989.)
People are watching us to see if we go along with the status quo! Christians must not be status quo people. Jesus wasn’t, nor should we. We must work hard at being a cut above. Paul said, “…do not be weary in doing what is right.” Right might not always be the most popular or the most profit; but as we work for Christ, our actions have eternal consequences, whether we sweep the floors or compose symphonies!
So, like Harry, expect to see all that you have done piled before Him. And, as He surveys that scene, may we hear, “Well done, my good and faithful servant; enter into your Father’s eternal rest!” Amen.
(2 Th 3:6 NRSV) Now we command you, beloved, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, to keep away from believers who are living in idleness and not according to the tradition that they received from us.
(2 Th 3:7 NRSV) For you yourselves know how you ought to imitate us; we were not idle when we were with you,
(2 Th 3:8 NRSV) and we did not eat anyone's bread without paying for it; but with toil and labor we worked night and day, so that we might not burden any of you.
(2 Th 3:9 NRSV) This was not because we do not have that right, but in order to give you an example to imitate.
(2 Th 3:10 NRSV) For even when we were with you, we gave you this command: Anyone unwilling to work should not eat.
(2 Th 3:11 NRSV) For we hear that some of you are living in idleness, mere busybodies, not doing any work.
(2 Th 3:12 NRSV) Now such persons we command and exhort in the Lord Jesus Christ to do their work quietly and to earn their own living.
(2 Th 3:13 NRSV) Brothers and sisters, do not be weary in doing what is right.
Susie's husband had been slipping in and out of a coma for several months. Things looked grim, but she was by his bedside every single day. One day as he slipped back into consciousness, he motioned for her to come close to him. She pulled the chair close to the bed and leaned her ear close to be able to hear him.
"You know" he whispered, his eyes filling with tears, "you have been with me through all the bad times. When I got fired, you stuck right beside me. When my business went under, there you were. When we lost the house, you were there. When I got shot, you stuck with me. When my health started failing, you were still by my side. "And you know what?"
"What, dear?" she asked gently, smiling to herself.
"I think you're bad luck."
Now, I don’t believe in luck, but this Joke was just too good to pass up! I believe that everything happens for a reason, a reason totally unassociated with luck. Some of us might feel like we have nothing but bad luck, especially when it comes to career choice and work environment. As a matter of a fact, one survey found that the average number of jobs an American worker has held by age 40 is 8 (Charis Conn (Ed.), What Counts: The Complete Harper's Index.)
Bad luck is not behind the dissatisfaction. One researcher estimates that 50 to 80% of Americans are in a job that does not match their abilities. Perhaps that is the reason that the average worker will have a complete career change not just once but 2 or even 3 times before they retire (Cynthia Spence in Homemade, May, 1989.)
I am sure that you have seen the bumper-sticker "I owe, I owe, so off to work I go." For a large amount of folks, this is the best reason they can muster for going to the job each day. My counsel to those who have not yet entered the workforce or are young enough or financially able to make a change: do what you love doing, regardless of the pay. I will tell you that no amount of money is worth an unfulfilling job.
What if we don’t have any other skills that would enable a career change? What if we can’t afford to take a cut in pay to find a fulfilling job? What do we do if we are stuck?
Paul gives us the key to change from the daily grind to glory. This applies to all of us – regardless of our job satisfaction – regardless of whether or not we work outside the home: "Whatever you do, do it for the glory of God” (First Corinthians 10:31).
Well-known preacher Harry Ironside shared the following story:
When I was a boy, I felt it was both a duty and a privilege to help my widowed mother make ends meet by finding employment in vacation time, on Saturdays and other times when I did not have to be in school. For quite a while I worked for a Scottish shoemaker, or "cobbler," as he preferred to be called, an Orkney man, named Dan Mackay. He was a forthright Christian and his little shop was a real testimony for Christ in the neighborhood. The walls were literally covered with Bible texts and pictures, generally taken from old-fashioned Scripture Sheet Almanacs, so that look where one would, he found the Word of God staring him in the face. There were John 3:16 and John 5:24, Romans 10:9, and many more.
On the little counter in front of the bench on which the owner of the shop sat, was a Bible, generally open, and a pile of gospel tracts. No package went out of that shop without a printed message wrapped inside. And whenever opportunity offered, the customers were spoken to kindly and tactfully about the importance of being born again and the blessedness of knowing that the soul is saved through faith in Christ. Many came back to ask for more literature or to inquire more particularly as to how they might find peace with God, with the blessed results that men and women were saved, frequently right in the shoe shop.
It was my chief responsibility to pound leather for shoe soles. A piece of cowhide would be cut to suite, then soaked in water. I had a flat piece of iron over my knees and, with a flat-headed hammer, I pounded these soles until they were hard and dry. It seemed an endless operation to me, and I wearied of it many times.
What made my task worse was the fact that, a block away, there was another shop that I passed going and coming to or from my home, and in it sat a jolly, godless cobbler who gathered the boys of the neighborhood about him and regaled them with lewd tales that made him dreaded by respectable parents as a menace to the community. Yet, somehow, he seemed to thrive and that perhaps to a greater extent than my employer, Mackay. As I looked in his window, I often noticed that he never pounded the soles at all, but took them from the water, nailed them on, damp as they were, and with the water splashing from them as he drove each nail in.
One day I ventured inside, something I had been warned never to do. Timidly, I said, "I notice you put the soles on while still wet. Are they just as good as if they were pounded?" He gave me a wicked leer as he answered, "They come back all the quicker this way, my boy!"
"Feeling I had learned something, I related the instance to my boss and suggested that I was perhaps wasting time in drying out the leather so carefully. Mr. Mackay stopped his work and opened his Bible to the passage that reads, "Whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of god."
"Harry," he said, "I do not cobble shoes just for the four bits and six bits (50c or 75c) that I get from my customers. I am doing this for the glory of God. I expect to see every shoe I have ever repaired in a big pile at the judgment seat of Christ, and I do not want the Lord to say to me in that day, 'Dan, this was a poor job. You did not do your best here.' I want Him to be able to say, 'Well done, good and faithful servant.'"
Then he went on to explain that just as some men are called to preach, so he was called to fix shoes, and that only as he did this well would his testimony count for God. It was a lesson I have never been able to forget. Often when I have been tempted to carelessness, and to slipshod effort, I have thought of dear, devoted Dan Mackay, and it has stirred me up to seek to do all as for Him who died to redeem me. (H. A. Ironside, Illustrations of Bible Truth, Moody Press, 1945, pp. 37-39.)
You work not for your boss, for your company, or for the profit margin; you work for Christ! This speaks not only to work environment; it speaks also to idleness.
What is that famous saying about idleness? Isn’t it “Idle hands are the devil’s workshop”? Why is that? Because when we intentionally pass up involvement, we make ourselves available for the problems that idleness brings: sloth, gossip, and waste of the gift called life. We were put on earth for a monumental reason: to grow into Christ-likeness and to help others do the same. Idleness is the greatest misuse of that intended purpose.
Last week I preached on heaven. Planet earth is the training ground for heaven. If we can’t be happy with the notion of Christian growth here – growth which entails worship, bible study and service - how will we ever be happy with heaven? Church is the number one avenue for putting your abilities and gifts to work. To do anything less is to miss out on God’s intention for your life. Paul was so adamant about it that he said that if a person doesn’t work, he or she should not be fed! Someone once said, “God gives the birds their food, but He doesn't throw it into their nests.” Work is essential to our livelihood both physically and mentally.
Unamuno, the Spanish philosopher, tells about the Roman aqueduct at Segovia, in his native Spain. It was built in 109 A.D. For eighteen hundred years, it carried cool water from the mountains to the hot and thirsty city. Nearly sixty generations of people drank from its flow.
Then came another generation, a recent one, who said, "This aqueduct is so great a marvel that it ought to be preserved for our children, as a museum piece. We shall relieve it of its centuries-long labor." They did; they laid modern iron pipes. They gave the ancient bricks and mortar a reverent rest. And the aqueduct began to fall apart. The sun beating on the dry mortar caused it to crumble. The bricks and stone sagged and threatened to fall. What ages of service could not destroy idleness disintegrated. (Resource, Sept./ Oct., 1992, p. 4.)
Not working when you can (please understand that there are valid reasons some can not work, due to physical or mental challenges) gives us too much time on our hands, which leads to poor use of time.
There used to be a sign in Sistersville, our last appointment, on the way out of town that read “Sistersville: Small but Busy.” Things have changed over the years; it is not a town that is busy as it used to be. Someone one day added to the sign: “Sistersville: Small but Busybodies!” Of course, the sign was removed. I think that someone who was hurt added to the sign. If you are from a small town or still live in one, you know how everyone knows or thinks they know everyone else’s business. This person was probably hurt by gossip, which is an outgrowth of having nothing better to do.
Work is essential to not only our physical and mental health, it is essential to our spiritual health. And, it makes a difference in the spiritual walks of others.
Paul wanted Christians to show the beauty of their faith in Christ by how they work. He even showed them in Thessalonica. He worked in their midst as a tent-maker, showing them the beauty of his faith as he worked for Christ.
The first governor-general of Australia was a man by the name of Lord Hopetoun. One of his most cherished possessions was a 300 year old ledger he had inherited from John Hope, one of his ancestors. Hope had owned a business in Edinburgh, where he first used this old ledger. When Lord Hopetoun received it, he noticed that it had inscribed on its front page this prayer, "O Lord, keep me and this book honest!" (Source Unknown.)
How common is employee dishonesty? According to one recent survey: Falsifying time sheets was admitted by 5.8% of workers. Stealing merchandise was admitted by 6.6%. Among people working in retail stores, 57% said they abused their employee-discount privileges. (Dr. John Clark, in Homemade, Nov, 1985.)
Time theft--deliberate waste and abuse of company time--costs the U.S. economy over $120 billion a year (Creative Management, in Homemade, May, 1985.)
In one survey of workers across the USA, nearly 85% said that they could work harder on the job. More than half claimed they could double their effectiveness "if (they) wanted to." (Managing the Equity Factor, R Huseman, J Hatfield, 1989.)
People are watching us to see if we go along with the status quo! Christians must not be status quo people. Jesus wasn’t, nor should we. We must work hard at being a cut above. Paul said, “…do not be weary in doing what is right.” Right might not always be the most popular or the most profit; but as we work for Christ, our actions have eternal consequences, whether we sweep the floors or compose symphonies!
So, like Harry, expect to see all that you have done piled before Him. And, as He surveys that scene, may we hear, “Well done, my good and faithful servant; enter into your Father’s eternal rest!” Amen.
Sunday, November 11, 2007
November 11, 2007 "Heaven"
[Opening for 1st Service:
A little girl was taking an evening walk with her father. Wonderingly, she looked up at the stars and exclaimed; "Oh, Daddy, if the wrong side of heaven is so beautiful, what must the right side be!" (Charles L. Allen in Home Fires.)
Today we are going to hear about heaven.]
[Opening for 2nd Service:
Following a campaign speech, a young man rushed up to Senator Everett Dirksen and said, "Senator, I wouldn't vote for you if you were St. Peter!" Dirksen eyed the young man for a moment, then said: "Son, if I were St. Peter, you couldn't vote for me, because you wouldn't be in my district." (Source Unknown.)
Where is St. Peter’s district? It is heaven! Today, we are going to hear about heaven!]
The Sadducees were a political group of people who did not believe in the resurrection of the dead. They were considered somewhat religious because of their ties to the temple, but they did not believe in heaven. Can you imagine someone confronting you with the very strong notion that there is no heaven? Jesus was thus confronted. They even crafted a wild scenario to frustrate him and to belittle him for believing in heaven. How would you respond to such an attempt to belittle your faith? Would you walk away, would you yell, would you even know how to defend yourself?
Jesus did what we all can do. He countered with the word of God. He stated that there is a resurrection, and quoted Exodus 3:6 as fact! Nothing more needed to be said! No arguing, no yelling, no shame! Jesus settled the notion of heaven right then and there. Thank you, Jesus!
Richard Baxter, a writer who had a tremendous influence on the founders of the Methodist and United Brethren movements, stated:
My knowledge of that life is small,
The eye of faith is dim,
But it's enough that Christ knows all,
And I shall be with him.
J. I. Packer, a great theologian whose words I studied in seminary, wrote this about heaven: “…where the redeemed will find all their heart's desire: joy with their Lord, joy with his people, and joy in the ending of all frustration and distress and in the supply of all wants. What was said to the child -- "If you want sweets and hamsters in heaven, they'll be there" -- was not an evasion but a witness to the truth that in heaven no felt needs or longings go unsatisfied. What our wants will actually be, however, we hardly know, except the first and foremost: we shall want to be "always...with the Lord" (1 Thess. 4:17).
What shall we do in heaven? Not lounge around but worship, work, think, and communicate, enjoying activity, beauty, people, and God. First and foremost, however, we shall see and love Jesus, our Savior, Master, and Friend. (James Packer, Your Father Loves You, Harold Shaw Publishers, 1986.)
Let’s see what the Bible has to say about heaven. The born-again believer:
will be with Jesus; Jesus said to the repentant thief on the cross: “Today you shall be with me in paradise” (Luke 24:43).
will have complete knowledge; speaking of heaven, Paul wrote, “Now I know in part; then I shall know fully” (I Cor. 13:12).
will be active; Paul wrote, “Do you not know that we will judge angels? How much more the things of life” (I Cor. 6:3).
will be free of hurt and agony; John wrote, “He will wipe away every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away” (Rev. 21:4).
will be surrounded by unbelievable beauty; Speaking of the new Jerusalem, John wrote: “The twelve gates were twelve pearls, each gate made of a single pearl. The great street of the city was of pure gold, like transparent glass…The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp” (Rev. 21:21 and 23).
Heaven will be belonging like we have never belonged before. Heaven will be never needing to give or receive an apology. Heaven will never have even a whisper of tragedy. Heaven will be knowing everyone – even those we have never met. Heaven is being in love. Heaven is an endless sunset. Heaven is surprise – our mouths will most of the time be hanging wide open. And when we can speak, it will be to say, “I had no idea!” And, we will be surprised by who is there, and who is not there!
In an article title, "Are We Ready for Heaven?" Maurice R. Irwin points out that only 34 percent of the American people who call themselves Christians attend church at least once a week. He says, "We sing, 'When all my labors and trials are o'er, and I am safe on that beautiful shore, just to be near the dear Lord I adore will through the ages be glory for me.' However, unless our attitudes toward the Lord and our appreciation of Him change greatly, heaven may be more of a shock than a glory." Daily Bread, July 31, 1992.
The opposite of heaven is hell. Jesus taught it was a literal place. It is a place where God removes His presence. I have had someone say to me, “If I don’t make it to heaven, I will just have a big party in hell.” My response is this: with God’s absence in hell, there will be no godlike quality there. There will be no friendships, no parties, no fun, no hope, no joy. The only way to avoid hell is to choose heaven by choosing Christ.
There is nothing that can satisfy the soul like a personal relationship with Jesus Christ! You can fill the void of this life with drugs, alcohol, and possessions, but they will never satisfy. Even people can not satisfy us fully. Only Christ can fill the void.
Just yesterday I did something that I have never done before. I ordered tickets to a Christian concert online. I bought the tickets and printed them right then and there. They are setting on my table. Christ is the ticket to heaven. That ticket can never be lost or damaged. Make sure that you have your ticket today.
C. S. Lewis shared, “If I find in myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world” (Mere Christianity, New York, Macmillan, 1960, p. 119.)
And if you are truly heaven-bound, then these words of C.S. Lewis are equally true:
If you read history you will find that the Christians who did the most for the present world were just those who thought most of the next. It is since Christians have largely ceased to think of the other world that they have become so ineffective in this. (Mere Christianity.)
If we are a people filled with the hope of heaven, then everything will look different! And we will not be a people who compose the sidelines. We will be in the game – working, ministering, in church and beyond! For we will know, beyond any doubt, that our greatest pursuit is to bring others along with us!
Before Communion:
A widely respected man known as "Uncle Johnson" died in Michigan at the incredible age of 120. Perhaps his advanced years could be credited in part to the cheerful outlook that characterized his life. One day while at work in his garden, he was singing songs of praise to God. His pastor, who was passing by, looked over the fence and called, "Uncle Johnson, you seem very happy today." "Yes, I was just thinking," said the old man. "Thinking about what?" questioned his pastor. "Oh, I was just thinking that if the crumbs of joy that fall from the Master's table in this world are so good, what will the great loaf in glory be like! I tell you, sir, there will be enough for everyone and some to spare up there." Source Unknown
[Opening for 1st Service:
A little girl was taking an evening walk with her father. Wonderingly, she looked up at the stars and exclaimed; "Oh, Daddy, if the wrong side of heaven is so beautiful, what must the right side be!" (Charles L. Allen in Home Fires.)
Today we are going to hear about heaven.]
[Opening for 2nd Service:
Following a campaign speech, a young man rushed up to Senator Everett Dirksen and said, "Senator, I wouldn't vote for you if you were St. Peter!" Dirksen eyed the young man for a moment, then said: "Son, if I were St. Peter, you couldn't vote for me, because you wouldn't be in my district." (Source Unknown.)
Where is St. Peter’s district? It is heaven! Today, we are going to hear about heaven!]
The Sadducees were a political group of people who did not believe in the resurrection of the dead. They were considered somewhat religious because of their ties to the temple, but they did not believe in heaven. Can you imagine someone confronting you with the very strong notion that there is no heaven? Jesus was thus confronted. They even crafted a wild scenario to frustrate him and to belittle him for believing in heaven. How would you respond to such an attempt to belittle your faith? Would you walk away, would you yell, would you even know how to defend yourself?
Jesus did what we all can do. He countered with the word of God. He stated that there is a resurrection, and quoted Exodus 3:6 as fact! Nothing more needed to be said! No arguing, no yelling, no shame! Jesus settled the notion of heaven right then and there. Thank you, Jesus!
Richard Baxter, a writer who had a tremendous influence on the founders of the Methodist and United Brethren movements, stated:
My knowledge of that life is small,
The eye of faith is dim,
But it's enough that Christ knows all,
And I shall be with him.
J. I. Packer, a great theologian whose words I studied in seminary, wrote this about heaven: “…where the redeemed will find all their heart's desire: joy with their Lord, joy with his people, and joy in the ending of all frustration and distress and in the supply of all wants. What was said to the child -- "If you want sweets and hamsters in heaven, they'll be there" -- was not an evasion but a witness to the truth that in heaven no felt needs or longings go unsatisfied. What our wants will actually be, however, we hardly know, except the first and foremost: we shall want to be "always...with the Lord" (1 Thess. 4:17).
What shall we do in heaven? Not lounge around but worship, work, think, and communicate, enjoying activity, beauty, people, and God. First and foremost, however, we shall see and love Jesus, our Savior, Master, and Friend. (James Packer, Your Father Loves You, Harold Shaw Publishers, 1986.)
Let’s see what the Bible has to say about heaven. The born-again believer:
will be with Jesus; Jesus said to the repentant thief on the cross: “Today you shall be with me in paradise” (Luke 24:43).
will have complete knowledge; speaking of heaven, Paul wrote, “Now I know in part; then I shall know fully” (I Cor. 13:12).
will be active; Paul wrote, “Do you not know that we will judge angels? How much more the things of life” (I Cor. 6:3).
will be free of hurt and agony; John wrote, “He will wipe away every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away” (Rev. 21:4).
will be surrounded by unbelievable beauty; Speaking of the new Jerusalem, John wrote: “The twelve gates were twelve pearls, each gate made of a single pearl. The great street of the city was of pure gold, like transparent glass…The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp” (Rev. 21:21 and 23).
Heaven will be belonging like we have never belonged before. Heaven will be never needing to give or receive an apology. Heaven will never have even a whisper of tragedy. Heaven will be knowing everyone – even those we have never met. Heaven is being in love. Heaven is an endless sunset. Heaven is surprise – our mouths will most of the time be hanging wide open. And when we can speak, it will be to say, “I had no idea!” And, we will be surprised by who is there, and who is not there!
In an article title, "Are We Ready for Heaven?" Maurice R. Irwin points out that only 34 percent of the American people who call themselves Christians attend church at least once a week. He says, "We sing, 'When all my labors and trials are o'er, and I am safe on that beautiful shore, just to be near the dear Lord I adore will through the ages be glory for me.' However, unless our attitudes toward the Lord and our appreciation of Him change greatly, heaven may be more of a shock than a glory." Daily Bread, July 31, 1992.
The opposite of heaven is hell. Jesus taught it was a literal place. It is a place where God removes His presence. I have had someone say to me, “If I don’t make it to heaven, I will just have a big party in hell.” My response is this: with God’s absence in hell, there will be no godlike quality there. There will be no friendships, no parties, no fun, no hope, no joy. The only way to avoid hell is to choose heaven by choosing Christ.
There is nothing that can satisfy the soul like a personal relationship with Jesus Christ! You can fill the void of this life with drugs, alcohol, and possessions, but they will never satisfy. Even people can not satisfy us fully. Only Christ can fill the void.
Just yesterday I did something that I have never done before. I ordered tickets to a Christian concert online. I bought the tickets and printed them right then and there. They are setting on my table. Christ is the ticket to heaven. That ticket can never be lost or damaged. Make sure that you have your ticket today.
C. S. Lewis shared, “If I find in myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world” (Mere Christianity, New York, Macmillan, 1960, p. 119.)
And if you are truly heaven-bound, then these words of C.S. Lewis are equally true:
If you read history you will find that the Christians who did the most for the present world were just those who thought most of the next. It is since Christians have largely ceased to think of the other world that they have become so ineffective in this. (Mere Christianity.)
If we are a people filled with the hope of heaven, then everything will look different! And we will not be a people who compose the sidelines. We will be in the game – working, ministering, in church and beyond! For we will know, beyond any doubt, that our greatest pursuit is to bring others along with us!
Before Communion:
A widely respected man known as "Uncle Johnson" died in Michigan at the incredible age of 120. Perhaps his advanced years could be credited in part to the cheerful outlook that characterized his life. One day while at work in his garden, he was singing songs of praise to God. His pastor, who was passing by, looked over the fence and called, "Uncle Johnson, you seem very happy today." "Yes, I was just thinking," said the old man. "Thinking about what?" questioned his pastor. "Oh, I was just thinking that if the crumbs of joy that fall from the Master's table in this world are so good, what will the great loaf in glory be like! I tell you, sir, there will be enough for everyone and some to spare up there." Source Unknown
Monday, November 05, 2007
November 4, 2007 "Suffering" WHY?
(First Service opening story:)
A bishop called a gathering of all the ministers in his area for a one-day consultation and retreat. The man assigned for the opening devotions that day called in sick at the last minute. The bishop sought out a young man who had recently graduated from seminary and had just been ordained. The bishop explained what had happened, and then he asked this young clergyman to lead the morning devotions.
“Oh bishop,” he exclaimed, “I couldn’t do that. I have nothing prepared. I would not know what to say.”
The bishop handed the young man his own Bible. “Here, take my Bible and spend a few moments of quiet time somewhere doing your preparation. Then, just trust the Lord. Just trust the Lord.”
The young man knew he could not refuse the bishop a second time. He reluctantly took the Bible and began to leaf through the pages. He could not find a proper text, but he did find a number of pages in the Bible with notes on them. One piece of paper intrigued him. As he looked it over, he decided that it would provide a good outline for a morning devotional for the group.
The young clergyman presented the devotion with exceptional poise and grace. When he was finished, the bishop came running over to him. Expecting some kind of gracious response, instead he heard the bishop exclaim, “Young man! What do you think you are doing? You just used my notes for today’s closing worship service. Now what will I do for a message later on?”
The younger man looked at his bishop and counseled, “Just trust the Lord, Bishop. Just trust the Lord” (Devotions to Leave You Smiling, p. 34).
Is it hard to trust in the Lord? It’s not too hard when things are going great, right? But what about when things aren’t going great? That is a different
story.
(Second service opening story:)
When Mike Kollin was a linebacker for the Dolphins, his former coach at Auburn asked him to do some recruiting for him. Mike said, “Sure coach. What kind of player are you looking for?”
The coach said, “Well, Mike, you know there’s that fellow, you knock him down, he just stays down?” Mike replied, “We don’t want him, do we coach?”
“No, that’s right. Then there’s that fellow, you know him down and he gets up, but you knock him down again and he stays down.” Mike replied, “We don’t want him either, do we coach?”
Coach said, “No, but Mike, there’s the fellow, you knock him down, he gets up. Knock him down, he gets up. Knock him down, he gets up. Knock him down, he gets up.
Mike said, “That’s the guy we want, isn’t it coach?”
The coach answered, “No, we don’t want him either. I want you to find that guy who’s knocking everybody down. That’s the guy we want!” (Illustrations Unlimited, p. 466).
It is one thing to get knocked down in a football game. What about when life knocks you down? What if life knocks you down again and again?
Someone once said, “I thought that I had a handle on life, then the handle fell off.” Another person compared life to “…a chicken trying to lay an egg on an escalator: as soon as she settles in, the bottom drops out.”
John Fishcer in his article The Fine Print writes:
“We are pressed on every side by troubles, but we are not crushed. We are perplexed, but not driven to despair. We are hunted down, but never abandoned by God. We get knocked down, but we are not destroyed. Through suffering, our bodies continue to share in the death of Jesus so that the life of Jesus may also be seen in our bodies.” (2 Corinthians 4:8-10 NLT)
These verses are what I call the fine print of the Christian life. When you sign up, you sign up for this, but unfortunately, not too many people read that far into the contract, and not enough leaders point it out. So when bad things start happening to us, we think something went wrong with our faith. Not necessarily. In fact, it’s an honor to think that your faith is worthy of being tested.
It’s a reverse spiritual principle that nonetheless is true: We get beaten down so that Christ might rise in us. It’s the whole idea God has of avoiding confusion. See, he doesn’t want people confusing human power and achievement with his power and what he is achieving in and through our lives. If all Christians were super-Christians, people would be impressed with them. As it is, God wants people to be surprised at us, not so much impressed – surprised that we can keep on believing, given what has happened to us. Surprised at us – impressed with God. That’s the way it should go.
It’s important to know this so that the things that happen don’t throw us into a tailspin. Paul wrote in the passage above that troubles, confusions, knock-downs, and drag-outs are all to be expected in a life of faith, and they are not just something to suck it up and endure, they are what will actually release the power of God in our lives. We encounter death-like experiences so that Christ’s life-like nature may clearly be seen in us, despite what is happening.
Let me try and say this again. This is not just endurance training through tough times. This is God’s strategy for ministry through us. There is no other way for it to be done. His strategy is his power and strength through our weakness – his life through our death. This doesn’t just happen to some Christians; it happens to us all if we desire to be effective in our faith.
So don’t forget the fine print today, and allow the troubles you face to springboard you into finding God’s purposes even in this. He had this planned all along. It’s even in the contract!
The Bible says, “Everyone who wants to be like Christ will suffer! At the Nicene Council, an important church meeting in the 4th century A.D., of the 318 delegates attending, fewer than 12 had not lost an eye or lost a hand or did not limp on a leg lamed by torture for their Christian faith. (Vance Havner.)
It would be safe to say that tragedies are part of the norm of life. There is little doubt that the righteous have trouble, too. Maybe the question we have about this is not so much “Why?” but perhaps it is, “Why is it sometimes so severe?” Shouldn’t there be some fringe benefits to belonging to God? Shouldn’t we be protected from the worse of life if we have claimed to be his? I’ll try to answer this today.
David Watson serves as a great example of a good person going through a bad time. He was a minister in England. He died of cancer before these words of his were published.
"It's sometimes only through suffering that we begin to listen to God. Our natural pride and self-confidence have to be stripped painfully away and we become aware, perhaps for the first time, of our own personal needs.
"During the ministry of Jesus on earth, a tower fell in Siloam and killed 18 innocent people. 'Why did God allow it' was the immediate questions pressed by those around Him. Jesus replied, not by answering the question of suffering nor by giving a satisfactory solution to this particular tragedy. Instead, He came back to the practical challenge of God's Word: 'I tell you...unless you repent you will all likewise perish.' It may sound a little bleak, but Jesus was far more concerned with a person's eternal well-being than merely satisfying an intellectual curiosity. Here He was dealing not with the question of 'Why?' but with the question 'What?' 'What is God saying in this calamity?'"
Watson concludes, "Through the unexpected diagnosis of cancer I was forced to consider carefully my priorities in life and to make some necessary adjustments. I still do not know why God allowed it, nor does it bother me. But, I am beginning to hear what God is saying, and this has been enormously helpful to me." (Morning Glory, January 21, 1994.)
Christ did not come to do away with suffering; He did not come to explain it; He came to fill it with His presence. And he himself was not exempt from suffering. The very son of God went to the cross – suffering the worst kind of personal tragedy. If anyone had fringe benefits, it would have been Christ. If anyone deserved that special divine protection, it would have been Christ. God does not draw such a distinction. God has a plan. Sometimes that plan requires major trials. Christ’s suffering was terrible, but it was a suffering with purpose. He died in our place, taking our sins to the cross and making a way for us to get to heaven. All we must do is ask Christ to come into our hearts.
There is a grand purpose in the suffering of every born-again person. What purposes, you may ask? How about these purposes:
1. Suffering can promote our spiritual maturity (Ps 105:16ff)
2. Suffering proves our integrity (1 Pt 3:15)
3. Suffering produce a sense of dependence
4. Suffering prepares our hearts for ministry (more empathetic)
These are just a few. Here are some more silver linings; suffering:
1. Produces character and hope
2. Shows the power of Christ
3. Shows the glory of God
4. Shows what faith can do
5. Teaches dependence on God
6. Enables us to comfort those in trouble
7. Shows the proof of faith
8. Allows us to suffer for the cause of Christ
9. Keeps down pride
10. Suffering can come because of another's sin
11. Suffering can come because we are part of a fallen race
12. Because we reap what we sow
13. Because of the sovereignty of God
14. Because our enemy wants us to suffer
15. For reasons known only to God
Suffering teaches us patience. These words were found penned on the wall of a prison cell in Europe: "I believe in love even when I don't feel it. I believe in God even when He is silent." (Billy Graham, Till Armageddon.)
This is all saints Sunday. Those who died with Christ in their hearts can testify today that all the struggle in this life is worth what they have received! Maybe we can hear their cheers – even if but a whisper – come on, keep going, you are almost home!
Someone asked C.S. Lewis, "Why do the righteous suffer?" "Why not?" he replied. "They're the only ones who can take it."
Helen Keller once wrote: "Although the world is full of suffering, it is also full of the overcoming of it.”
Frank and Billie Wilcox were living in Pakistan many years ago. Their six-month-old baby died. An old Punjabi who heard of their grief came to comfort them. "A tragedy like this is similar to being plunged into boiling water," he explained. "If you are an egg, your affliction will make you hard-boiled and unresponsive. If you are a potato, you will emerge soft and pliable, resilient and adaptable." It may sound funny to God, but there have been times when I have prayed, "O Lord, let me be a potato." (Guideposts Magazine)
O Lord, let us be potatoes.
(First Service opening story:)
A bishop called a gathering of all the ministers in his area for a one-day consultation and retreat. The man assigned for the opening devotions that day called in sick at the last minute. The bishop sought out a young man who had recently graduated from seminary and had just been ordained. The bishop explained what had happened, and then he asked this young clergyman to lead the morning devotions.
“Oh bishop,” he exclaimed, “I couldn’t do that. I have nothing prepared. I would not know what to say.”
The bishop handed the young man his own Bible. “Here, take my Bible and spend a few moments of quiet time somewhere doing your preparation. Then, just trust the Lord. Just trust the Lord.”
The young man knew he could not refuse the bishop a second time. He reluctantly took the Bible and began to leaf through the pages. He could not find a proper text, but he did find a number of pages in the Bible with notes on them. One piece of paper intrigued him. As he looked it over, he decided that it would provide a good outline for a morning devotional for the group.
The young clergyman presented the devotion with exceptional poise and grace. When he was finished, the bishop came running over to him. Expecting some kind of gracious response, instead he heard the bishop exclaim, “Young man! What do you think you are doing? You just used my notes for today’s closing worship service. Now what will I do for a message later on?”
The younger man looked at his bishop and counseled, “Just trust the Lord, Bishop. Just trust the Lord” (Devotions to Leave You Smiling, p. 34).
Is it hard to trust in the Lord? It’s not too hard when things are going great, right? But what about when things aren’t going great? That is a different
story.
(Second service opening story:)
When Mike Kollin was a linebacker for the Dolphins, his former coach at Auburn asked him to do some recruiting for him. Mike said, “Sure coach. What kind of player are you looking for?”
The coach said, “Well, Mike, you know there’s that fellow, you knock him down, he just stays down?” Mike replied, “We don’t want him, do we coach?”
“No, that’s right. Then there’s that fellow, you know him down and he gets up, but you knock him down again and he stays down.” Mike replied, “We don’t want him either, do we coach?”
Coach said, “No, but Mike, there’s the fellow, you knock him down, he gets up. Knock him down, he gets up. Knock him down, he gets up. Knock him down, he gets up.
Mike said, “That’s the guy we want, isn’t it coach?”
The coach answered, “No, we don’t want him either. I want you to find that guy who’s knocking everybody down. That’s the guy we want!” (Illustrations Unlimited, p. 466).
It is one thing to get knocked down in a football game. What about when life knocks you down? What if life knocks you down again and again?
Someone once said, “I thought that I had a handle on life, then the handle fell off.” Another person compared life to “…a chicken trying to lay an egg on an escalator: as soon as she settles in, the bottom drops out.”
John Fishcer in his article The Fine Print writes:
“We are pressed on every side by troubles, but we are not crushed. We are perplexed, but not driven to despair. We are hunted down, but never abandoned by God. We get knocked down, but we are not destroyed. Through suffering, our bodies continue to share in the death of Jesus so that the life of Jesus may also be seen in our bodies.” (2 Corinthians 4:8-10 NLT)
These verses are what I call the fine print of the Christian life. When you sign up, you sign up for this, but unfortunately, not too many people read that far into the contract, and not enough leaders point it out. So when bad things start happening to us, we think something went wrong with our faith. Not necessarily. In fact, it’s an honor to think that your faith is worthy of being tested.
It’s a reverse spiritual principle that nonetheless is true: We get beaten down so that Christ might rise in us. It’s the whole idea God has of avoiding confusion. See, he doesn’t want people confusing human power and achievement with his power and what he is achieving in and through our lives. If all Christians were super-Christians, people would be impressed with them. As it is, God wants people to be surprised at us, not so much impressed – surprised that we can keep on believing, given what has happened to us. Surprised at us – impressed with God. That’s the way it should go.
It’s important to know this so that the things that happen don’t throw us into a tailspin. Paul wrote in the passage above that troubles, confusions, knock-downs, and drag-outs are all to be expected in a life of faith, and they are not just something to suck it up and endure, they are what will actually release the power of God in our lives. We encounter death-like experiences so that Christ’s life-like nature may clearly be seen in us, despite what is happening.
Let me try and say this again. This is not just endurance training through tough times. This is God’s strategy for ministry through us. There is no other way for it to be done. His strategy is his power and strength through our weakness – his life through our death. This doesn’t just happen to some Christians; it happens to us all if we desire to be effective in our faith.
So don’t forget the fine print today, and allow the troubles you face to springboard you into finding God’s purposes even in this. He had this planned all along. It’s even in the contract!
The Bible says, “Everyone who wants to be like Christ will suffer! At the Nicene Council, an important church meeting in the 4th century A.D., of the 318 delegates attending, fewer than 12 had not lost an eye or lost a hand or did not limp on a leg lamed by torture for their Christian faith. (Vance Havner.)
It would be safe to say that tragedies are part of the norm of life. There is little doubt that the righteous have trouble, too. Maybe the question we have about this is not so much “Why?” but perhaps it is, “Why is it sometimes so severe?” Shouldn’t there be some fringe benefits to belonging to God? Shouldn’t we be protected from the worse of life if we have claimed to be his? I’ll try to answer this today.
David Watson serves as a great example of a good person going through a bad time. He was a minister in England. He died of cancer before these words of his were published.
"It's sometimes only through suffering that we begin to listen to God. Our natural pride and self-confidence have to be stripped painfully away and we become aware, perhaps for the first time, of our own personal needs.
"During the ministry of Jesus on earth, a tower fell in Siloam and killed 18 innocent people. 'Why did God allow it' was the immediate questions pressed by those around Him. Jesus replied, not by answering the question of suffering nor by giving a satisfactory solution to this particular tragedy. Instead, He came back to the practical challenge of God's Word: 'I tell you...unless you repent you will all likewise perish.' It may sound a little bleak, but Jesus was far more concerned with a person's eternal well-being than merely satisfying an intellectual curiosity. Here He was dealing not with the question of 'Why?' but with the question 'What?' 'What is God saying in this calamity?'"
Watson concludes, "Through the unexpected diagnosis of cancer I was forced to consider carefully my priorities in life and to make some necessary adjustments. I still do not know why God allowed it, nor does it bother me. But, I am beginning to hear what God is saying, and this has been enormously helpful to me." (Morning Glory, January 21, 1994.)
Christ did not come to do away with suffering; He did not come to explain it; He came to fill it with His presence. And he himself was not exempt from suffering. The very son of God went to the cross – suffering the worst kind of personal tragedy. If anyone had fringe benefits, it would have been Christ. If anyone deserved that special divine protection, it would have been Christ. God does not draw such a distinction. God has a plan. Sometimes that plan requires major trials. Christ’s suffering was terrible, but it was a suffering with purpose. He died in our place, taking our sins to the cross and making a way for us to get to heaven. All we must do is ask Christ to come into our hearts.
There is a grand purpose in the suffering of every born-again person. What purposes, you may ask? How about these purposes:
1. Suffering can promote our spiritual maturity (Ps 105:16ff)
2. Suffering proves our integrity (1 Pt 3:15)
3. Suffering produce a sense of dependence
4. Suffering prepares our hearts for ministry (more empathetic)
These are just a few. Here are some more silver linings; suffering:
1. Produces character and hope
2. Shows the power of Christ
3. Shows the glory of God
4. Shows what faith can do
5. Teaches dependence on God
6. Enables us to comfort those in trouble
7. Shows the proof of faith
8. Allows us to suffer for the cause of Christ
9. Keeps down pride
10. Suffering can come because of another's sin
11. Suffering can come because we are part of a fallen race
12. Because we reap what we sow
13. Because of the sovereignty of God
14. Because our enemy wants us to suffer
15. For reasons known only to God
Suffering teaches us patience. These words were found penned on the wall of a prison cell in Europe: "I believe in love even when I don't feel it. I believe in God even when He is silent." (Billy Graham, Till Armageddon.)
This is all saints Sunday. Those who died with Christ in their hearts can testify today that all the struggle in this life is worth what they have received! Maybe we can hear their cheers – even if but a whisper – come on, keep going, you are almost home!
Someone asked C.S. Lewis, "Why do the righteous suffer?" "Why not?" he replied. "They're the only ones who can take it."
Helen Keller once wrote: "Although the world is full of suffering, it is also full of the overcoming of it.”
Frank and Billie Wilcox were living in Pakistan many years ago. Their six-month-old baby died. An old Punjabi who heard of their grief came to comfort them. "A tragedy like this is similar to being plunged into boiling water," he explained. "If you are an egg, your affliction will make you hard-boiled and unresponsive. If you are a potato, you will emerge soft and pliable, resilient and adaptable." It may sound funny to God, but there have been times when I have prayed, "O Lord, let me be a potato." (Guideposts Magazine)
O Lord, let us be potatoes.
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