A LIBERTY THAT IS CHARITABLE
#066 A LIBERTY THAT IS CHARITABLE
Scripture Romans 14:1-23, NIV Orig. Date 11/25/62
Rewr. Dates 8/31/85
Passage: Accept the one whose faith is weak, without quarreling over disputable matters. 2 One person’s faith allows them to eat anything, but another, whose faith is weak, eats only vegetables. 3 The one who eats everything must not treat with contempt the one who does not, and the one who does not eat everything must not judge the one who does, for God has accepted them. 4 Who are you to judge someone else’s servant? To their own master, servants stand or fall. And they will stand, for the Lord is able to make them stand.
5 One person considers one day more sacred than another; another considers every day alike. Each of them should be fully convinced in their own mind. 6 Whoever regards one day as special does so to the Lord. Whoever eats meat does so to the Lord, for they give thanks to God; and whoever abstains does so to the Lord and gives thanks to God. 7 For none of us lives for ourselves alone, and none of us dies for ourselves alone. 8 If we live, we live for the Lord; and if we die, we die for the Lord. So, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord. 9 For this very reason, Christ died and returned to life so that he might be the Lord of both the dead and the living.
10 You, then, why do you judge your brother or sister[a]? Or why do you treat them with contempt? For we will all stand before God’s judgment seat. 11 It is written:
“‘As surely as I live,’ says the Lord,
‘every knee will bow before me;
every tongue will acknowledge God.’”[b]
12 So then, each of us will give an account of ourselves to God.
13 Therefore let us stop passing judgment on one another. Instead, make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in the way of a brother or sister. 14 I am convinced, being fully persuaded in the Lord Jesus, that nothing is unclean in itself. But if anyone regards something as unclean, then for that person it is unclean. 15 If your brother or sister is distressed because of what you eat, you are no longer acting in love. Do not by your eating destroy someone for whom Christ died. 16 Therefore do not let what you know is good be spoken of as evil. 17 For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit, 18 because anyone who serves Christ in this way is pleasing to God and receives human approval.
19 Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification. 20 Do not destroy the work of God for the sake of food. All food is clean, but it is wrong for a person to eat anything that causes someone else to stumble. 21 It is better not to eat meat or drink wine or to do anything else that will cause your brother or sister to fall.
22 So whatever you believe about these things keep between yourself and God. Blessed is the one who does not condemn himself by what he approves. 23 But whoever has doubts is condemned if they eat, because their eating is not from faith; and everything that does not come from faith is sin.[c]
Purpose: Continuing the series from Romans, showing that true liberty is that that is based in love.
Keywords: Bible Study Law Liberty
Timeline/Series: Romans
Introduction
We today assume so much liberty from the dictates of others that we fail to realize what an issue this has been historically. Huldrych Zwingli, pre-reformation theologian of central Europe, left a thirty-page treatise (2 hours) on choice and free use of foods. He concluded with sixteen points of concern.
- The general gathering of Christians may accept for themselves fasts and abstinence from foods, but not set these up as a common and everlasting law.
- For God says, Deuteronomy 4:2, “You shall not add unto the word which I command you, neither shall you diminish aught from it.”
V. This is shown by the sanctification of both Testaments. The Old is sprinkled and sanctified by the blood of animals, but the New with the blood of the Everlasting God, for Christ thus spake: This is the cup of my blood of a new and everlasting [covenant]
VII. How dare a man add to the testament, to the covenant of God as though he would better it?
IX. Paul says, Romans 8:8: “Owe no man anything but to love one another.”
X. Again, Galatians 5:1: “Stand fast therefore in the freedom wherewith Christ has made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.”
XI. If he is to be cursed who preaches beyond what Paul preached and if Paul nowhere preached the choice of food, then he who dares command this is worthy of a curse.
XII. If we are not bound by any law but the law of love, and if freedom as to food injures not the love of one’s neighbor, in case this freedom is rightly taught and understood, then we are not subject to this commandment or law.
These points have forced me to think that the church officers have not only no power to command such things, but if they command them, they sin greatly; for whoever is in office and does more than he is commanded, is liable to punishment (20 Cen. IIp123).
Sadly, five years later Zwingli helped to find Felix Manz guilty, under penalty of death by drowning, for preaching against infant baptism and rebaptizing.
I. The Law of Liberty. V10 “But why do you judge your brother? Or why do you show contempt for your brother? For we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ.” The Law of Liberty addresses various themes.
Substance—about food and drink. V2 “For one believes that he may eat all things, but he who is weak eats only vegetables.” It is wrong to judge those who do more than we, or to hold contempt for those who do less. Matthew 15:17, “What goes in at the mouth defileth not the man.” I Corinthians 6:12, “All things are lawful for me, but all things are not expedient.”
Servants—To what degree do we deride other believers for being different?—the Amish for their clothing and buggies; Adventists for their understanding of the 7th day. Such considerations are extended to believers only. We don’t compromise belief.
Seasons—On what basis do we decide what days are special? Holidays, we sanctify. Special family days, we honor. Many disdain religious days. Colossians 2:16, “Therefore let no one judge you in food or in drink, or in regarding a festival or a new moon or sabbaths.” Don’t worship a day, but don’t fail to exercise its worth.
The Law of Liberty reminds us that our first consideration is in our relationship with Jesus Christ. Colossians 2:6, “As you have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him.” Eat out of regard for the Lord. Treat others as you would have them treat you. Use every day, Sabbath and otherwise, as an obedient servant. V8, “For if we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord.”
If preaching, do so with the Lord in view. If helping to rear a family; if cutting grass; if presiding over a Senate committee; or if canning a jar of preserves: Do all these things with the Lord in view.
The Law of Liberty reminds us that we will not be judged on the basis of substance, servants, and seasons. V10, “For we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ, for it is written, ‘As I live,’ says the Lord, ‘every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God.’” I45.
II. The Law of Love. V15, “Yet if your brother is grieved because of your food, you are no longer walking in love. Do not destroy with your food the one for whom Christ died.”
It testifies of relationship to those who behave differently. But from a Christian perspective, their difference is not a moral defect. In Paul’s day the issue centered around food (offered to idols). Today it is more around alcohol. The real issue is concern. The object of relationship issues more from love than belief. Paul advocates liberty, but only love can interpret it with meaning.
It testifies of resolution. V17, “The Kingdom of God is not food and drink, but righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.” The kingdom is spiritual, such pronouncements issued should be also. Matthew 5:16 “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.” It is a defined kingdom. Of righteousness, it is a kingdom with not just moral direction but with deliverance from sin, overt and covert. Of peace, it is a kingdom of peace with God; Romans 5:1, “. . . having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.”
Carlyle Marney, in his book, Peace! Peace!, says: “The claims of our Lord set a man against himself, I discover. They split him down the middle. They make him schizoid. Once he faces up to the claims of Christ he is divided, he is at war, until surrender. He can never be justified by what he does: his new gadgets, his nursery rhyme creeds, his one-eyed philosophies, his mudpie civilization, his kindergarten councils. He can be justified only in himself, and his justification begins only when he is a man of peace, and his peace comes only when he surrenders to the Source of peace against which he fights.”
It testifies of responsibility. V19, “. . . let us pursue the things which make for peace and the things by which one may edify another.” The “things” were already mentioned in verse 17. The Christian life is to be conditioned on such assertions. Those who are strong in faith are to give ground, in spite of their liberty.
V22, “Do you have faith?” Is your faith in Christ sufficient for this kind of ordering? The word “damned” is misleading. The Greek word kekritai means “condemned” and implies faith was not a factor in decision. Thus, liberty will limit itself by love.
Conclusion
The simplest way to define sin is to explain it as any act that is contrary to the will of God. God said to Adam, “Thou shalt not eat of it.” The moment he did, he sinned. It was an act in direct contradiction to God’s revealed will. Jesus taught of sins of the heart: hate, adultery, etc. He taught that intention to sin is the same as the sin itself. Anything that hurts other people is sin. James wrote of it this way, “. . . to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin.” As a Christian, all we do is before the face of God. To act without consideration of his presence is sin. If the Lord would not give His approval to my conduct, then my action or my attitude is wrong.
THE MESSAGE OF CHRISTMAS
#065 THE MESSAGE OF CHRISTMAS
Scripture Luke 2:1-20 NIV Orig. 12/24/61
Rewr. 12/18/75, 12/9/76
Passage: In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. 2 (This was the first census that took place while[a] Quirinius was governor of Syria.) 3 And everyone went to their own town to register. 4 So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. 5 He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. 6 While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, 7 and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them. 8 And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. 9 An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10 But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. 11 Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. 12 This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” 13 Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,
14 “Glory to God in the highest heaven,
and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”
15 When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.” 16 So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. 17 When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, 18 and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. 19 But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. 20 The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.
Keywords: Christ Birth Christmas
Timeline/Series: Christmas
Introduction
One of the most beautiful of all of the stories that have to do with Christmas, is a story that many people have never heard. It is the story of The Shepherd Who Stayed. I don’t remember who wrote the story, or even where it can be found.
There was simply another shepherd who fell to his knees that night on the Judean hillside. A man who was moved with the glory of the moment. A man who, like other men, was overwhelmed at what he saw and heard. This shepherd, however, rejected the angels’ invitation to see. “You will find the babe,” the angel had said.
Our shepherd friend was keeper there in the Judean hills to only a hundred sheep, but they were his responsibility, and he intended to stay at his post. I hear more than words when he gives his reason for not going to “the City of David.” God is at work in Bethlehem, he reasoned, and one shepherd less would not make a difference. But a shepherd in the hills could make a great deal of difference before this magnificent night is over.
I. The Message of Christmas is One of Fearsome Revelation. 2:15 Let us . . . see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us. It is beyond everything else, God’s message to his people. You remember that it was the Word of God that brought this universe into existence. “And God said, ‘Let there be light’ and there was light.”
You also remember that it was the same Word of God that adjudged the world. “And God saw everything that He had made, and behold, it was very good.”
It was God’s Word which introduced man to taint an otherwise perfect place. But this perfection meant nothing without someone being capable of comprehending it. It would have to be a being capable of destroying it. Now it is God’s Word seeking to redeem the earth’s most irredeemable subject. V11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David, a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.
The Revelation becomes more fearsome when we discover that it is from the Sovereign. There is the evidence of authority. “The angel of the Lord came upon them.” “A multitude of the heavenly host praising God.” “The babe lying in the manger.”
There is the signature of design:
“There is no art without an artist, no building without a builder,
no history without a patriot and his dream.
“Nor can there be a planet without a planner, a plant without a planter,
nor even yet a man without a Maker of this scene.”
The revelation becomes burdensome if we acknowledge man’s accountability without God’s trustworthiness. Every individual capable of self-comprehension is responsible for his choices and his actions. One of the critiques of our age is upon the misuse of alcohol, drugs—prescription and otherwise, tobacco, sex, and the health burdens that are left in the wake of their use.
You may have heard about the emaciated man who went to his doctor about his general health. The only thing the doctor turned up was that he smoked too much. “You must follow my advice. Your trouble is your smoking. Cut out all cigarettes except after meals.” Two months later he was back for a checkup. He looked better. He had gained weight. “I don’t know how long I can eat 15 meals a day.”
This self-responsibility passes over into even those areas of stress that we do not control. There were reasons why the shepherds could be reassured by the angel: The teachings of their fathers; the physical accommodations of the evening; conversations that such a night invoked; a star like no other star. While they were stricken with fear, their stress was abated by what these men were before the angel appeared.
II. The Message of Christmas is One of Joyful Exultation. There was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.
Joyful exultation is the result of faith. They believed in a God of love whose purpose was to be known by his creation. It was in the disciples’ fear of the unknown that Jesus said in Matthew 10:26 “Fear not, therefore, there is nothing covered that shall not be revealed, nothing hid that shall not be made known.”
It was acknowledging God’s sovereignty over the unknown which caused Paul to write in Ephesians 1:9 “Having made known unto us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure which He purposed in Himself.”
Joyful exultation in faith culminates in understanding. The story is told of Heinrich von Dannecker, great German sculptor of the late 18th and early 19th centuries. In his early years he won a name for himself in sculpting Ariadne and other Greek goddesses. As he felt he was in his prime, he committed himself to what would be his major work. It would be a colossal piece featuring the Christ. He twice failed, but held to his purpose. Finally, the work of a lifetime was complete. It was all that he wanted it to be. He later was approached by Napoleon to do a statue of Venus for the Louvre. His answer was simple, “Sire, the hands that have carved the Christ can never again carve a heathen goddess.”
Similarly, Lew Wallace, Civil War general, later governor of New Mexico, began work on a novel. It was to contain an atheist’s view of Christ. The novel was Ben Hur. The author became a Christian in his efforts to write such a novel.
And understanding, when it is finished, brings fulfillment to the Christian life. V20 And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told unto them.
The shepherds believed a believable word and acting on such faith were rewarded for it. They came to comprehend the involvement of God in the sameness of their lives. They knew that God had appropriated to Himself, a message that would change their lives. While they went back to the same sheep on the same hillside, their lives would never know sameness again.
There is likewise given to us a believable word, but the reward of faith awaits the believer’s response. How many of us have the gift of eternal life because we have believed? Romans 6:23 The gift of God is eternal life. John 1:12 As many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God. Matthew 7:11 If you, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?
Though near to faith, how many are there who are yet victims of self-condemnation because they have refused the believable WORD? John 12:48 He that rejecteth me, and receiveth not my words, hath one that judgeth him; the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day.”
We have been given life that we might find the Saviour. The angelic light penetrates the blackness of our somber nights announcing, “Christ is born . . . go ye . . . and ye shall find . . . Glory to God. When they had seen it . . . they returned, glorifying and praising God.”
Closing
I was reminded a few days ago of the testimony of a young Japanese student who was at Southwestern when I was there. The war years had been tragic. His brother-in-law dead in a kamikaze (divine wind) raid. His sister takes her own life. His parents had been in diplomatic service in Europe, but would not survive the war. His conversion came as a student in Germany after the war, when he was given a portion of a German New Testament. He tells of the time, at the start of the war, when they were given one hour to pack one suitcase, to then be extradited to their homeland. He remembered watching his mother trying to make the decision about what to put in that suitcase. She would put in objects of gold and silver, then ancestor-honoring porcelain, of great worth. Finally she loaded the suitcase with woolens and foodstuffs.
*THE REMAINDER OF THIS SERMON HAS BEEN LOST*
REFLECTION, attached to this sermon in Rev. Skinner’s file
Henry W. Longfellow
I heard the bells on Christmas day
Their old familiar carols play,
And wild and sweet the words repeat
Of peace on earth, good will to men.
I thought how, as the day had come,
The belfries of all Christendom
Had rolled along th’unbroken song
Of peace on earth, good will to men.
And in despair I bowed my head:
“There is no peace on earth,” I said,
“For hate is strong and mocks the song
Of peace on earth, good will to men.”
Then pealed the bells more loud and deep:
“God is not dead, nor doth he sleep;
The wrong shall fail, the right prevail,
With peace on earth, good will to men.”
Till, ringing, singing, on its way,
The world revolved from night to day,
A voice, a chime, a chant sublime,
Of peace on earth, good will to men!
DEMAS THE WORLD-LOVER
#061 DEMAS THE WORLD-LOVER
Scripture Philemon 24; Colossians 4:14; II Timothy 4:10 NIV Orig. Date 12-31-61
Rewr. Dates 1-6-88
Passage:
Philemon 24, NIV
24 And so do Mark, Aristarchus, Demas and Luke, my fellow workers.
Colossians 4:14, NIV
14 Our dear friend Luke, the doctor, and Demas send greetings.
2 Timothy 4:10, NIV
10 for Demas, because he loved this world, has deserted me and has gone to Thessalonica. Crescens has gone to Galatia, and Titus to Dalmatia.
Purpose: Showing that the best way to avoid straying from our faith is to continually re-examine it by the light of the way we are living.
Keywords: Biography, Demas Faith Worldliness Revival Faithlessness
Introduction
I was a proud young man after completing my work at Louisiana College. A significant time had come in my life. Ann and I were already married. We had a baby daughter named Fritha. Soon I would begin my next level of preparation for the pastorate.
In my mind, at least, seminary would offer a different perspective of preparation. There, so I thought, I would gain through the experiences of others. My professors were to be graduate theologians. Most had served pastorates. Some had even taken advance studies in the finer theological schools of Europe.
While I had been active in my home church after receiving Christ at age 16, I had reached the ripe age of 24, having left my home, and home town, and fellowship of believers to enter the military. From there, I had gone to work in industry in Baton Rouge. So, for six of those years prior to entering seminary, I had not had a close and uplifting experience with a pastoral role model. Seminary would offer me that, or so I thought.
I now know that what I wanted was someone to lean on, someone who would serve as an occasional crutch. But, as early as my first seminary class I discovered that there would be lots of competition. There were 2,000 students at Southwestern, needing, more or less, someone to lean on. And there were only about sixty faculty members. And most of them felt that it was not in their students’ best interest for them to be leaning posts.
I wonder if Demas looked at Paul, and Luke, and the others as someone to lean on. I wonder if he held them in such reverence that he never found time to seek the Lord for the daily needs of his own life. Paul had addressed this very issue with the Corinthians. “Was Paul crucified for you, or were you baptized in the name of Paul?” Demas may have missed that lecture. What he needed, we need—a daily walk with our Lord. Loving the world is the alternative.
I. When First We Meet Demas, He is Called Co-Laborer. Philemon 24 “Marcus, Aristarchus, Demas, Lucas, my fellow-laborers.” Clearly, there were prior years of good effect. We know nothing of his prior years, only that this is the first of three listings. This is chosen as the first because the object of this letter, Onesimus, is mentioned in Colossians 4:9, “a faithful and beloved brother.”
Knowing so little, we try to piece together a life. I watch and read with interest the scenarios of paleontologists and archaeologists who take a bone, a bead, a tool, and attempt to build a culture. Law enforcement uses artists to draw up likenesses from slender shreds of evidence of witnesses.
We can conclude a few things. Philemon, written from Rome, was written first, some suggest during an early imprisonment. Perhaps Demas was enamored of this man Paul. Remember, at first Paul “was in his own hired house” (Acts 28:30).
It is possible that hardships were minimal. Demas was a piece of clay being molded, not yet experiencing the heat of the kiln: As someone (Lockyer p91) says, “like a piece of soft iron, temporarily magnetized by the presence of a magnet.”
It would not have been difficult for any of us to revere a man like Paul. And too many of us have revered those who unlike Paul had “feet of clay.”
Little can be said, therefore, about Demas’ conversion. Some would conclude that Demas had not been converted, and would be quick to say so. They fear, I suppose, that he would thus be an example of one who had “fallen from grace.”
But we Baptists know the truth. We know that one cannot fall “from” grace. Hebrews 6:19, “Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast.” But we know that the believer can fall “in” grace. I Timothy 4:1, “Some shall depart from the faith giving heed to seducing spirits.”
It remains a sad commentary that some who walked the way of faith lost their zeal for the walk. But for now, Demas is a coworker, along with Philemon (Philemon v1), Clement (Philippians 4:3), and Epaphroditus (Philippians 2:25).
II. When Next We Find Him, it is with a Cosmopolitan Spirit. Colossians 4:14 “Luke, the beloved physician, and Demas greet you.” Imagine, being mentioned in the same breath with a great Christian like Luke. Interestingly, like Demas, Luke is mentioned by name only three times—the same three passages. What a remarkably significant difference in these two men.
Imagine, as well, having the opportunity to learn scripture from such men of knowledge and spirit. According to the best information, Luke’s gospel had been written a year or two earlier: Gospel of Luke in 60 A.D., and Colossians in 61 A.D. Perhaps it was already being circulated.
It should not escape our notice that Mark is also mentioned in these three passages. And his gospel was written first. Luke enlarged upon it. I checked a couple of New Testaments: Mark and Luke comprise 80 pages, Paul’s writings 90 pages. The total in the New Testament is 360 pages.
Demas is with three who wrote half the New Testament.
No better place than this to digress. How seriously do we take scripture? How long has it been since we engaged in regular Bible study? What will be our response three weeks from now when we study Malachi? Have you read through the Bible? The New Testament? Have you resolved to do better in 1988? Whom do we choose as a role model? Paul? Demas?
Here was an opportunity to learn scripture from a man likewise skilled in science. I love science, do you? I have a grasp of what it means to reconcile science to scripture. Notice, I said “science to scripture.” If we have to reconcile scripture to science, then what’s the use? I owe science no apology for my faith. If my faith means nothing, then science is nothing more than separate irresistible forces on collision course.
We still turn out to hear scientists who are also believers, believers who are scientists: Willie Ley at Louisiana College, George Schweitzer at Southwestern Seminary.
And this particular scientist was “beloved.” It was a word used of Jesus in Matthew 3:17. It is used of believers: Romans 1:7, I Corinthians 4:14. Will you be thus remembered? One of the pluses of the pastorate is from people who do not forget. I had a letter from a Riverside church member in New Orleans, Bonnie Williamson, kindly expressing appreciation. People have that kind of love for family doctors also.
Brother Doctor Luke was easy to love. Demas was working on becoming a world lover.
III. Finally, We Find Only a Vapor Trail of Where He Has Been. II Timothy 4:10, “For Demas hath forsaken me, having loved this present world and is departed unto Thessalonica.” Perhaps as many as five years have passed. At what point he left we do not know. The spirit of his leaving seems to have been desertion. Surely Paul would have yielded up this brother in pursuit of the will of God.
We do know that circumstances have changed for Paul. Clement of Rome (30 years later) says he was exiled. Tradition affirms that he was released, but to what is conjecture. Paul himself gives us a hint. II Timothy 1:16f, “May the Lord grant mercy to the household of Onesiphorus, for he often refreshed me; he was not ashamed of my chains, but when he arrived in Rome he searched . . . and found me.”
Do you think Demas had become “ashamed” of “chains”? Aischuno is the Greek word that means “shame,” or a feeling of “fear.” “Chain,” or halusis, refers to a literal binding. Are we ashamed of what we perceive as “chains” binding believers today?
Thus, emerging from this Christian cocoon is a world-lover. It does not suggest that he became worldly, only that he decided that being an outspoken Christian was dangerous. He put his church letter in his trunk and took out for home, betraying Paul, but more important, denying his Lord.
Conclusion
The point of Demas’ life has nothing to do with falling from grace. It has little to do with salvation. It has everything to do with growing in our faith: With sanctification if you please. We must take care that Demas’ mistakes do not become our mistakes. We should, and must, move in those circles that exemplify our Lord, and that ensure spiritual growth, not a kind of religious tedium that is revoltingly commonplace.
THE TONGUE OF LOVE
#060 THE TONGUE OF LOVE
Scripture I Corinthians 13:1-13, NIV Orig. Date 12-10-61
Rewr. Dates 1-22-89
Passage: If I speak in the tongues[a] of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. 3 If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast,[b] but do not have love, I gain nothing.
4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
8 Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. 9 For we know in part and we prophesy in part, 10 but when completeness comes, what is in part disappears. 11 When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me. 12 For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.
13 And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.
Purpose: Continuing a series for Prayer Meeting emphasizing the Book of First Corinthians.
Keywords: Bible Study Great Texts Love
Series: I Corinthians
Introduction
At a family gathering in Transylvania on a Sunday afternoon, the unmarried son and his steady were present. He was in no hurry to get married, but wanted the security of a regular girlfriend. His main interests were hunting, fishing, etc.
As the family sat in the yard, Mark stood and said, “Let’s go!” The girl, assuming he was talking to her, stood. But at the same time she arose, the old family dog got up. She, recognizing how ridiculous this was, said, “Are you talking to me or the dog?”
The people we love ought to be able to tell by the way we talk, and by what we say, what are our feelings for them. Paul admonished us to love in word and deed.
I. First, We Need an Overview of Biblical Love. V1 “Though I speak with tongues of men and angels, and have not love, I am as sounding brass or a tinkling cymbal.”
English has only one word to express love. A Cajun may use it in reference to the nutria he has taken from his trap. An addict may use it in in regard to drugs. A faithful grandfather uses it about a Christmas necktie. It may be used by a man arrested for abusing his spouse.
But Greek has four interesting words. The noun eros/verb ethan is used for sensual or spousal love, for ambition, or for patriotism; it is not used in the New Testament. The noun storge/verb stergein means family affection or group interaction or devotion; Romans 12:10 uses the word: “Be ye kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love.” The noun philia/verb philien is the most-used in Classical Greek; it applies to close family (parent/child, husband/wife). The noun agapa/verb agapan is used over 250 times in the New Testament; classical scholars saw this as meaning “benefactor,” thus is its Victorian use as “charity.”
II. Now a Brief Grasp of the Passage. V2 “Though I have the gift of prophecy, understand mysteries, have knowledge, have faith sufficient to move mountains, but do not do so out of love, it means nothing.” Love is greater than understanding, be it natural or acquired: Love is greater than a college education. Knowledge did not set Paul’s heart on fire. Nor did it inspire such men as Luther and Wesley. Love is greater than prophecy—Hosea became a parable to Israel. Love is greater than works—than self-sacrifice, for instance; “Though I give my body to be burned” v3. Morality is not morality without love.
Love is greater than all other gifts. I Corinthians 12:28 calls attention to the gifts. Not all have every gift. It doesn’t matter. But all should covet what is best, and better than all is love.
***THE REMAINDER OF THIS SERMON HAS BEEN LOST***
THE SINNER'S PREDICAMENT
#057 THE SINNER’S PREDICAMENT
Scripture Psalm 51 NIV Orig. 10-7-61 (3-77)
Rewr. 2-10-88
Passage:
1 Have mercy on me, O God,
according to your unfailing love;
according to your great compassion
blot out my transgressions.
2 Wash away all my iniquity
and cleanse me from my sin.
3 For I know my transgressions,
and my sin is always before me.
4 Against you, you only, have I sinned
and done what is evil in your sight;
so you are right in your verdict
and justified when you judge.
5 Surely I was sinful at birth,
sinful from the time my mother conceived me.
6 Yet you desired faithfulness even in the womb;
you taught me wisdom in that secret place.
7 Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean;
wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.
8 Let me hear joy and gladness;
let the bones you have crushed rejoice.
9 Hide your face from my sins
and blot out all my iniquity.
10 Create in me a pure heart, O God,
and renew a steadfast spirit within me.
11 Do not cast me from your presence
or take your Holy Spirit from me.
12 Restore to me the joy of your salvation
and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.
13 Then I will teach transgressors your ways,
so that sinners will turn back to you.
14 Deliver me from the guilt of bloodshed, O God,
you who are God my Savior,
and my tongue will sing of your righteousness.
15 Open my lips, Lord,
and my mouth will declare your praise.
16 You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it;
you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings.
17 My sacrifice, O God, is[b] a broken spirit;
a broken and contrite heart
you, God, will not despise.
18 May it please you to prosper Zion,
to build up the walls of Jerusalem.
19 Then you will delight in the sacrifices of the righteous,
in burnt offerings offered whole;
then bulls will be offered on your altar.
Purpose: To share with my people in an effort for all of us to deal with the gulf that exists between our sin and the holiness of God.
Keywords: Confession Greater Text Revival Conversion God’s Holiness Sin
Introduction
We do not lack illustrations of sin run amuck in human lives. The papers testify regularly in actual example what we know in foreboding moments of ourselves and people about us. What might our lives really be like if the Spirit of Christ were not a modifying influence?
Lately, we have read of the man in Arkansas who killed his wife, children, and grandchildren, apparently because the wife was threatening to leave him. A man in another state with a history of mental problems, killed his sister and her children during a visit because the grandparents were showing affection for them. In Utah recently, a woman and her family barricaded themselves in their homestead for several days to deny legal access; a law officer was killed when the confrontation finally came. The newspapers daily carry articles about child abuse, and many other scenes of social conflict.
Shades of Henry Lee Lucas! Do you remember him? The papers daily carried his story. The number of women dead by his hand (he claimed) reached an unbelievable 150. While some of these were later determined to be some sadistic exaggeration, he was linked to many of these cases. The first murder was his own mother, in 1960. He was imprisoned for that killing.
His judgment is not yet settled, a least as far as man is concerned. God’s justice, however, will not fail. His condemnation is not of a murderer of defenseless women. That for which Lucas stands guilty before God is that he refused to live under a standard of law outside of himself.
Davis describes for us in Psalm 51 the great discovery that he has made. That God is just. That His justice cannot be manipulated, intimidated, or confused. Whatever the sin, if it is unrequited, it faces the bar of God’s judgment.
- Sin’s Burden Is the Cause of the Sinner’s Predicament. V2 “Wash me from my iniquity. . . Cleanse me from my sin.” V3 “I acknowledge my guilt, and my sins confront me all the day long.” Any honest person will admit the problem with sin. The old spiritual “Not my brother, not my sister, but it’s me O Lord, standing in the need of prayer.” David, being an honest man, had to come to terms with himself. V3 “I acknowledge my guilt.”
It is the good favor of God that we can see this from the New Testament perspective. Galatians 1:10f “Those who depend on obeying the law live under a curse. For the Scripture says ‘Whoever does not always obey everything that is written in the law is under God’s curse.’ Now, it is clear that no man is put right with God by means of the law, because the Scripture says “He who is put right with God by faith shall live.’”
A few years ago, Patti Hearst went from the millionaire’s mansion to a cell block. She has been forgiven by society, by the system, and seems to be living a productive life. During her trial, however, her court-appointed psychiatrist laid out in sequence the sordid exposé of her life. Whether or not her sins came under the jurisdiction of God’s forgiveness remains to be seen. And He knows some things about Patti Hearst that were not made public at her trial. He likewise knows all about us.
Honest people should also admit that the real burden of our sin is against God. V4 “Against thee, thee only have I sinned.” Back up a moment, and look at the record. David caused a faithful woman to betray her husband on a kingly whim. To cover that indiscretion, he ordered this soldier husband to be put in mortal danger. The child conceived by this illicit union would die. David’s sons begin at this moment to learn the lesson of their father’s moral compromise. The nation Israel begins a date with destiny that will find the nation torn with division.
Get a good look at the deception. Uriah, the husband, was ordered home. He would not go in to his wife while troops of the king were in danger. He, himself, carried the order for his death. His own captain is used as an unwilling henchman.
David’s sin was also a betrayal of trust. There is no higher ethic than Hebrew law. Someone once said, “We have 35 million laws and no improvement on the Ten Commandments.” The basest malediction of the law is the failure to respect it as God’s law.
- We Must Also View Sin from the Perspective of God’s Nature. V3 “My sin confronts me all the day long.” It is the universal malady of the human race. Psalm 6:6 “All the night make I my bed to swim. I water my couch with tears.” Thus is the human dilemma, to be drawn down by the constancy of this struggle with sin. I Kings 15:5: “David did what was right in the sight of the Lord, and had not turned aside from any thing that He commanded him all the days of his life, except in the case of Uriah the Hittite.” Ezra 9:6 “O my God, I am ashamed and blush to lift up my face to thee, my God: for our iniquities are increased over our head, and our trespass is grown up unto the heavens.”
Or we treat it lightly, inconsequentially: Proverbs 14:9 “Fools make a mock at sin.” Micah 7:3 “. . . they may do evil with both hands earnestly.”
It is, first of all, the nature of God to perceive sin as it is. It is the energy toward which all of God’s energy is cast. It is the enigma compelling mortals to their doom. James 1:15 “Sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.”
It is the nature of God to will all men delivered from this treachery. Forgiveness through Christ is the means. Desire for forgiveness is as strong as the will to sin. Psalm 126:6 “He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him.” Luke 6:21 “Blessed are ye that weep now, for ye shall laugh.” It is remembrance of sin that brings the sweet rapture of divine forgiveness. It is this remembrance of sin that brings the sweet rapture of divine forgiveness. It is this remembrance of sin that here keeps David watchful and prayerful. Matthew 26:41 “Watch and pray that ye enter not into temptation.”
III. There Is, Finally, the Need to Share What He has Learned. V13 “Then I will teach transgressors thy ways; and sinners shall be converted unto thee. . . . My tongue shall sing aloud of thy righteousness. O Lord, open thou my lips; and my mouth shall show forth thy praise.”
What he has learned about himself:
- That sin is a problem of constancy.
- That there is a relief. I saw a church sign recently asking the question, “How do you spell relief?” The answer given was “P-R-A-Y-E-R.”
- That the best thing he can do for others is to live his faith openly. We are not responsible for “converting” people to God, to faith. We are duty bound, having walked through the jagged defile of sin’s anguish, to share winsomely what we have learned, experienced.
What he has learned about God:
- We must first note that it is a worshipful experience. “My mouth shall show forth thy praise.”
- It is a worship experience that is of the heart. We are told what it is not: V16 It is not sacrifice, burnt offering. We are told what it is: It is a restorative experience; “salvation”—deliverance from sin—deliverance from its consequences, as far as that is possible, and “joy”—it is to possess a special gift, and to possess it with understanding.
- What we can best communicate to others about God is His “salvation,” and to show it by the “joy” that issues forth in the believer’s life.
Conclusion
The name of David Livingston is known and associated with the cause of Christian missions. He served God faithfully in the continent of Africa. He was asked about how he stood up so well under the strictures brought on by the treachery and villainy he experienced at the hands of others. His response, “I have faults myself.”
We will do a better job relating to the sin of others, remembering that we have sins ourselves, and only the intercession of God can bring “salvation” and “joy” that issues forth from it.
Summary
David’s plea is a plea for cleansing. He found out long before that ritual doesn’t change anything, only relationship will set him free. The essence of true religion, then, is not ritual, but relationship. For cleansing to afford him the peace that he seeks, he must take the source of his separation from God before the bar of God’s justice. I Kings 15:5: “David did what was right in the sight of the Lord, and had not turned aside from any thing that He commanded him all the days of his life, except in the case of Uriah the Hittite.”
James Carter wrote the hundred year history of the Louisiana Baptist Children’s Home. He included a note about the move to Louisiana College in 1903. Kate Hawkins was matron. An outbuilding was used as a tool shed during construction, and an offer came to install bath fixtures in the outbuilding. We are told that Mrs. Hawkins refused this offer commenting that the children were not used to taking baths. Fortunately, for us, and for David, he was a man of unusual cleanness of spirit, and it is in that spirit that he addresses his God for forgiveness, and for renewed relationship.
IF OUR GOSPEL BE HID
#054 “IF OUR GOSPEL BE HID”
Scripture II Corinthians 4:1-7 Orig. Date 4/19/64 (8/75)
Rewr. Dates 7/22/87
Passage: Therefore, since through God’s mercy we have this ministry, we do not lose heart. 2 Rather, we have renounced secret and shameful ways; we do not use deception, nor do we distort the word of God. On the contrary, by setting forth the truth plainly we commend ourselves to everyone’s conscience in the sight of God. 3 And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. 4 The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel that displays the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. 5 For what we preach is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake. 6 For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,”[a] made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ.
7 But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us.
Purpose: To remind my people of the need to be openly assertive of our faith in Christ as Lord of life.
Keywords: Christian Life Gospel Revival Special Influence
Introduction
Margaret Sangster, the social worker, writer, and editor, shared an all-too personal experience from one of the tenement areas where she worked. The point of her life work had always been to reach out to the people around her and help them meet their own needs through private donations when government help was not available.
She saw a need for a gymnasium for the youth of the district. A place was secured, and because other help did not materialize, she began to supervise this activity. A lad of about twelve came to the gym one day on crutches. The leg was badly twisted, and Mrs. Sangster discovered that the boy had been run over, the leg badly broken, and no medical help was sought.
She made arrangements to carry the boy to an orthopedic surgeon who had provided his services before. She was told that the leg could be straightened, but it would take several operations. A wealthy benefactor was found who would pay the hospital costs. With parental approval, the transformation was begun. As Mrs. Sangster tells the story, about eighteen months later she joyously looked up in the gym one day to see the lad stroll in, pick up a basketball, dribble down the floor, and send it spinning through the hoop. What a happy moment that was.
Years later, she would tell the story, and ask, “Do you know what that boy is doing today?” Of course, no one did. “No, he’s not an attorney, or judge. No, he didn’t become a preacher or professor. No, he’s not in social work.” She would hide the sob trying to surface. “He is serving three concurrent life terms in the state penitentiary for murder and robbery.” After a pause, she continued, “I was so busy teaching him how to walk, I forgot to teach him where to walk.”
How careful are we as Christians to teach the really important things about our faith in Christ? What if “our gospel be hid”?
I. What If the Gospel Be Hid Socially? II Corinthians 4:3 “It is hid to them that are lost.” How hard is it, today, to tell who the Christians around us really are? Some estimates run as high as 90%. That would be all active church members, and all the 50% of church members who never attend. There are millions of others who happen to believe freedom to worship means freedom not to.
I have seen too many of them coming out of the quick-order store with a cross around their neck, a six pack in their hand, a foul message on their tee shirt. The answer is clearly not in one-day-a-week faith. It is too easy to dress in religious togs and be satisfied we are convincing. If I work, or work out, I wear something for sweating. If I am playing golf, it certainly won’t be in my black suit. I have a friend who occasionally wears overalls to prayer meeting; he has not time to change.
Paul here reminds us that our faith is a “treasure” bound up “in earthen vessels.” People take pride in their treasures. They want their friends to share in their good fortune. II Corinthians 5:17 “. . . if any be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away, all things are become new.” You see, the Vessel can be spoiled, the spirit within the vessel, never.
And beyond this, God calls us to share in His vision. Amy Carmichael was an Irish missionary who served in India for 56 years without furlough, and died there. II Corinthians 5:18 “. . . He hath reconciled us to Himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation.” That means let your light shine socially.
II. What If the Gospel Be Hid Politically? II Corinthians 4:3-4 “. . . It is hid to them that are lost: In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not.” We are watching the gospel being slowly divested from the arena of politics. This week USA Today (July 22) reported “Over 50% of those interviewed would take all preachers off television.”
In our earlier history, politicians were considered statesmen. They had an obligation to a higher law, God’s law. Now, those who are men of faith often hope that it will not be used against them. What had we really rather have, a character to entertain, or, with character to inspire?
It is a good way to judge our TV preachers, and others. We are not out of line to want to know about the genuineness of a person’s religion. Oliver North’s wife was presented as a born-again Christian. Admiral Poindexter’s wife wore the frock of an Episcopal rector.
III. What If the Gospel Be Hid Intellectually? II Corinthians 4:3-4 “. . . it is hid to them that are lost: . . . lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, . . . should shine unto them.” The genius of human intellect is clear. Evidence of it appears in every age. It is asserting itself in this 20th Century as never before, through airplanes, atomic fission, electronic wizardry. Many learned men and women exemplify a strong Christian witness in Congress, in the Statehouse, as University Presidents, as coaches and artisans and athletes and entertainers.
What if we fail to make such faith clear? Youth grow to physical adulthood, enter college, participate, graduate with honors, but face the future unsure about their faith. With their own souls in jeopardy, their commitment to intellect may also be compromised.
The need intellectually is to assert our faith. We are creatures of intellect. Our society would crumble without it. Caesar came to the Rubicon with his armies. He had the ships that transported them burned. Retreat would not be an option open to them.
IV. What If We Hide the Gospel Culturally? II Corinthians 4:3,5 “. . . It is hid to them that are lost: . . . For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus our Lord: and ourselves your servants for Jesus’ sake.”
America has much to offer a needy world today. There is intense physical hardship, in the third world and some even here at home. We have the wherewithal to help. Nothing lends itself to compassion like religious faith, particularly Christian faith. It has the potential of worthy example. Following the Civil War, the world saw a super power emerge. Inclusion of ethnic groups has proven the worth of our culture.
But our greatest treasure is our faith. In the day when many are surrendering theirs, we who look to Christ must continue to share Him with a searching world. Hosea 4:1 “Hear the word of the Lord, . . . for the Lord hath a controversy with the inhabitants of the land, because there is no truth, nor mercy, nor knowledge of God in the land.”
It is incumbent upon us as believers to keep our gospel exposed to the light of day, to share our faith, to share our wealth to expedite missions, and to live obediently so that what we say matches the way we live.
Conclusion
Albert McClellan tells us of the time when he and other convention personnel were having lunch at the Hermitage Hotel in Nashville. Soup was brought to the table, and one of the group was reminded of a story.
It seems that three men were having a meal together in London. When the soup was served, all three noticed a bug swimming around on the surface of each of their portions. The Englishman, acting discreetly, fastidiously pushed his bowl aside while claiming not to be hungry. The American plunged his spoon under the still swimming bug and raked him into his plate, saying aloud, “I’ll take care of you!”
The third man was a Scot He carefully slid the blade of his knife under the bug, balanced him carefully, then picked him off the knife blade with his fingers. Next, he shook the soup gathered on the knife blade back in the bowl, then squeezed the bug, saying, “Spit it out, little laddie.”
Dr. McClellan said that his group laughed so loudly at the story that others in the restaurant were attracted to their conversation just in time to hear one of the men say with a laugh, “bugs in the soup.” As you might expect, all over the restaurant, soup spoons were placed aside, but the real problem was for all of the people who had finished theirs.
We have a message to deliver, and it must be clear, because people are depending on us for the truth.
WISE UNTO SALVATION
#053 WISE UNTO SALVATION
Scripture II Timothy 3:12-17 Orig. Date 10-22-61 (4-75)
Rewr. Dates 1-12-86
Passage: 12 In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, 13 while evildoers and impostors will go from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived. 14 But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, 15 and how from infancy you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. 16 All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, 17 so that the servant of God[a] may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.
Purpose: To speak to my people early in the year encouraging them to give stronger consideration to the need to study God’s Word with a renewed intensity.
Keywords: Bible Christian Responsibility Baptist Belief
Introduction
I stood there that day talking with a lady about a need for a music worker. She shared some reluctance, but I felt that she was almost convinced. I moved in like a fisherman at his favorite fishing hole. I reminded her that we simply wanted to see her talent invested in this important “kingdom” cause. Her response was sincere. “Brother Skinner, I love to sing, but there’s a lot I don’t know about music.” I felt like a chess payer moving in to checkmate. Said I, “I love to preach, but there’s a lot I don’t know about preaching and sermons.” I was just getting ready to pat myself on the back when she took the wind out of my sails. She responded, “Yeah, but YOU can fool people, and you can’t when you don’t know music.”
I never cease to be amazed at the capabilities that many people have. There are few things in this world that are not within the scope of being mastered if one has the heart and the will, and some intellect thrown in for good measure.
There are musicians who have dedicated their lives to mastering music. There are theologians who likewise have mastered the art and craft of sermon and rhetoric. Believe it or not, there are even people who understand American foreign policy. They know what is going on in Nicaragua, even Libya, or South Africa.
Make no mistake about this then. If one wants to understand the Bible, it is within our grasp. We can, and must, see it as vital to the Christian life. We must perceive of God’s Word as the agent of His communication with His people. Such a voice would not be shoddily handled when so much depends on it.
I. We Discover that This Book was Written By Men Inspired. II Peter 1:21 “For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man; but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.”
There are a lot of different reasons that people write: Some to share knowledge; some to entertain; some to express their prurient thoughts. Others write simply because it is easier than working. The Bible was written as a storehouse of redemptive knowledge. Its purpose was not science, not astronomy, not even history. God is at work redemptively.
Psalm 110:105 “Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.” Jeremiah 23:29 “Is not my word like as a fire? saith the Lord; and like a hammer that breaketh the rock in pieces?” Luke 24:32 “Did not our hearts burn within us as he opened to us the Scriptures?” Romans 15:4 “Whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope.”
Patrick Henry referred to the Bible as “a book worth all other books which were ever printed.”
II. Written By Inspired Men, It Had God for Its Author, Salvation for Its End. Romans 1:16 “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believeth.” God is then eternally responsible for His Word. In man’s beginning, he struggled to communicate with other men, and language was born, a language capable of expressing the deepest of thoughts. In man’s entrapment in the nuclear age, communication has been replaced by détente. God’s Word is now more than ever man’s only surviving means of brotherhood.
God’s purpose according to His Word will not and cannot be averted. The writing of the Bible as we know it today covers about 1600 years of man’s history. The Old Testament was born and woven in three fragments—Law, Prophets, and Writings. By 150 A.D. a complete New Testament canon was in circulation. Many translations preceded the ones we know: Jerome, mid 4th century; Wycliffe 1380; Tyndale 1611; King James 1611. The TEXTUS RECEPTUS was the basic King James text. Though some 5,000 manuscripts have been found since, there is a total alteration of less than one percent.
III. God’s Word has Truth without Any Mixture of Error for its Matter. Proverbs 30:5-6 “Every work of God is pure. Add thou not unto His words, lest He reprove thee and thou be found a liar.” There is not to be found any book with the integrity, credibility, and authenticity of the Bible. Why do people waste time on the trashy books that offer only a fleshly sensation at best? They may do worse. This is the real evil of pornography: What it does to us, and what it keeps from us.
The truth of man’s gravest need is found and continued in the book we know as the Bible. We were concerned with Watergate. We are concerned with Southeast Asia. We wonder about ecology and energy supplies. There is an answer to “Why am I here?” and “Where is it all going?”
Psalm 43:3 “Send out Thy light and Thy truth; let them lead me.” John 8:32 “You shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” II Corinthians 13:8 “We can do nothing against the truth, but for the truth.”
IV. The Bible Goes on to Reveal the Principles by Which God Will Judge Us. Romans 2:12 “As many as have sinned in the law shall be judged by the law." John 12:47-48 “If any man hear my words. . . . the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day.”
The most significant aspect of that judgment is faith in Jesus. Whatever good there is, or merit, in any human life comes about as a result of faith.
Aristotle said of his own writings that they “were given for action and not for discussion.” Even so, with the Bible, it is easier to get people to talk about the Bible, even to study, than to get us to do what it says. We marvel that Codex Sinaiticus sold for ½ million dollars. Vaticanus was so closely guarded that it was not known until Napoleon conquered Rome.
V. The Bible Is and Will Remain to the End of the World the True Center of Christian Union. Philippians 3:16 “Let us walk by the same rule, let us mind the same thing.” We have learned some things worthy of keeping: We are judged by the same standards. We are forgiven alike through Jesus. We are saved for equal purposes.
It will do us well to remember that the totalitarian state is enemy to the purpose of sharing this Word from God. One is reminded of a Hitler quote to youth-oriented groups, “Whether it is the Old Testament or the New Testament, or the sayings of Jesus, it is all the same old swindle. . . . One is either a German or a Christian. You can not be both.” A Hitler mouthpiece was head of the German people’s church. National socialism must not be judged from a biblical or ecclesiastical standpoint.
VI. The Bible is the Supreme Standard by Which All Human Conduct, Creeds, and Opinions Should be Tried. I John 4:1 “Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.”
CLOSING
Last eve I passed beside a blacksmith’s door,
and heard the anvil ring the vesper chime.
Then looking in I saw upon the floor
old hammers worn with beating years of time.
“How MANY anvils have you had,” said I,
“to wear and batter all these hammers so?”
“Just one,” said he, and then with twinkling eye,
“The anvil wears the hammers out you know!”
And so, thought I, the anvil of God’s Word,
for ages skeptic blows have beat upon;
Yet, though the noise of falling blows was heard,
the anvil is unharmed—the hammers gone.
Attributed to John Clifford
MISSIONS: THE TUNE OF OBEDIENCE
#050 MISSIONS: THE TUNE OF OBEDIENCE
Scripture Isaiah 54:1-5; John 4:31-41 NIV Orig. 11-26-61
Rewr. 11-28-84
Passage:
“Sing, barren woman,
you who never bore a child;
burst into song, shout for joy,
you who were never in labor;
because more are the children of the desolate woman
than of her who has a husband,”
says the Lord.
2 “Enlarge the place of your tent,
stretch your tent curtains wide,
do not hold back;
lengthen your cords,
strengthen your stakes.
3 For you will spread out to the right and to the left;
your descendants will dispossess nations
and settle in their desolate cities.
4 “Do not be afraid; you will not be put to shame.
Do not fear disgrace; you will not be humiliated.
You will forget the shame of your youth
and remember no more the reproach of your widowhood.
5 For your Maker is your husband—
the Lord Almighty is his name—
the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer;
he is called the God of all the earth.
31 Meanwhile his disciples urged him, “Rabbi, eat something.” 32 But he said to them, “I have food to eat that you know nothing about.” 33 Then his disciples said to each other, “Could someone have brought him food?” 34 “My food,” said Jesus, “is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work. 35 Don’t you have a saying, ‘It’s still four months until harvest’? I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest. 36 Even now the one who reaps draws a wage and harvests a crop for eternal life, so that the sower and the reaper may be glad together. 37 Thus the saying ‘One sows and another reaps’ is true. 38 I sent you to reap what you have not worked for. Others have done the hard work, and you have reaped the benefits of their labor.” 39 Many of the Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman’s testimony, “He told me everything I ever did.” 40 So when the Samaritans came to him, they urged him to stay with them, and he stayed two days. 41 And because of his words many more became believers.
Purpose: To call attention to the clear teaching of Scripture as it gives us our mandate to preach the Gospel to the ends of the earth.
Keywords: Christ Redeemer Missions Church Obedience
Introduction
It was an Easter meeting of the Northampton Association in England. The year was 1791. The urgency of missions was a new and controversial theme for English Baptists. For as long as any of them could remember their belief had centered around Calvinism. They were known as Particular Baptists because they believed that God was a “Particular” God, and that only certain “elected” people would be saved.
At that meeting, men like Andrew Fuller and John Sutcliffe spoke to these assembled believers. But on this occasion, they spoke on the challenge of missions.
It was just one month later when many of these same pastors and church leaders assembled again. They were to induct a young man into the role of pastor of one of these churches. As a part of the program, this young man was to preach. He chose a subject which was a part of a study in which he was engaged. The title of his sermon was “The Inquiry into the Obligation of Christians to use Means for the Conversion of the Heathen.”
The young man who was assuming his first pastoral role was William Carey, the man who today is called “The Father of modern missions.” That day he referred to statistics. There were 731 million people in the world: 2 of 10 were Muslim, 5 of 10 were pagan, only 3 of 10 were Christian. Something must be done to point these lost multitudes to Christ.
John Ryland, the pastor who baptized [Carey], was present. He spoke up, “Sit down, young man: When the Lord gets ready to convert the heathen, He will do it without your help or mine.”
A year later, on May 30, 1792, [Carey] preached again to the Association. “Expect great things from God . . . Attempt great things for God.” Within a year, Carey and a Baptist surgeon named [John] Thomas would be on their way to India.
I. Foreign Missions Fulfills the Tune of World Diplomacy. V3 “Your descendants will inherit the nations, and make the desolate cities inhabited.” V35 “Look on the fields, for they are white already to harvest.” The world desperately needs to have an option to be Christian. It is Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist. It is Communist. How [many have] any chance to be Christian? A group of Christians emerged from a Jewish tour bus at the Dome of the Rock. The Muslim overseers had closed it for the day. The guide remarked to her driver, “I could do just as well without any religions.” Unfortunately, there are many Christians who act as if they agree.
Do you think Muslims will hesitate? Would see the world in Communism? Then we must support a mission program that reaches out in love.
Yes, missionaries are still making an impact with the Gospel. There are those who deny it. They say this person from another culture is not a messenger from God, but a harbinger of Western values. Baptist missionaries in most of the world are supporting national leaders. The good work for Ethiopian people is being done by the religiously oriented.
Here is the One Way that WE can creatively take a world stand. John Denver said in USA Today: “If one man is hungry, then I am hungry. If a child is starving, then my child is starving.” Missions is the one remaining best hope of the world.
II. It Not Only Fulfills World Diplomacy, but Church Deputation as Well. V35 “Lift up your eyes and look on the fields.” Matthew 28:19, 20 “Go ye therefore and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you.”
There can be no doubt that we are to evangelize. A young clergyman asked the Duke of Wellington if it wasn’t useless to preach to Hindus. “Look to your marching orders, ‘Go, preach the Gospel to every creature.’” S3p252.
The message of Christ has not found fulfillment until we share it with another. Each one of use came to believe through the witness of another. Our faith witness ought to include family, neighbors, others. Family and neighbors we can reach; missions helps us to extend our hands around the world.
It is no little job. World population is presently approaching 5 billion. By the year 2000 it is expected to be close to 6 billion.
WORLD AREA POPULATION % CHRISTIAN [1984]
Western Europe 516 million 30%
Eastern Europe 425 million 5%
[South] America 384 million 3%
Africa 700 million 2%
Asia 2.9 billion 0.1%
North America 280 million 40%
To walk with Christ is to identify with His message. Matthew 24:14 “This Gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations.” Revelation 14:6 “I saw another angel . . . , having the everlasting Gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people.” Southern Baptist men gave 100,000 Bibles in Russia, and then they gave 100,000 Bibles again!
In preparing for Jonah last week, I read again why Jonah hated the Assyrians so. Do we want a Gaddafi or Khomeini or Khrushchev clone in control? God left the Jews because they became nation-centered.
90% of Protestant preaching is to English-speaking people. 90% or more of Christian wealth is in the hand of English-speaking people. English speakers make up 9% of the world’s population.
III. Missions Also is Necessary to Fulfill the Credibility of the Saviour. V34 “Jesus saith unto them, ‘My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work.” I John 4:14 “The Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world.” He continues to seek that accomplishment through men and women of faith and good will.
There are things that we can and must do. Be sensitive to the searchings of faith in the lives of people around us. Acknowledge that the means to winning the world is through the support of evangelically oriented missionaries. Take a prayerful look at what the Lottie Moon Christmas offering means in that purpose.
Remember that the way we live and talk, and the way we support our church and kingdom causes, tells people what we think about the credibility of the Saviour.
Conclusion
Do you know who Albert Einstein was? Perhaps the greatest brain in scientific revolution.
Do you know about Karl Marx? Probably the greatest mind behind 20th Century economics.
Do you recognize Sigmund Freud? The prime mover of psychology.
All were Jews!!!! But the need
***THE REMAINDER OF THIS SERMON HAS BEEN LOST***
A RADICAL CHANGE
#049 A RADICAL CHANGE
Scripture Romans 6:1-23 NIV Orig. 5-20-62 (6-77)
Rewr. 11-9-88 (1-85)
Passage: What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? 2 By no means! We are those who have died to sin; how can we live in it any longer? 3 Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4 We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life. 5 For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly also be united with him in a resurrection like his. 6 For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body ruled by sin might be done away with,[a] that we should no longer be slaves to sin— 7 because anyone who has died has been set free from sin. 8 Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. 9 For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead, he cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over him. 10 The death he died, he died to sin once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God. 11 In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus. 12 Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires. 13 Do not offer any part of yourself to sin as an instrument of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer every part of yourself to him as an instrument of righteousness. 14 For sin shall no longer be your master, because you are not under the law, but under grace. 15 What then? Shall we sin because we are not under the law but under grace? By no means! 16 Don’t you know that when you offer yourselves to someone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one you obey—whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness? 17 But thanks be to God that, though you used to be slaves to sin, you have come to obey from your heart the pattern of teaching that has now claimed your allegiance. 18 You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness. 19 I am using an example from everyday life because of your human limitations. Just as you used to offer yourselves as slaves to impurity and to ever-increasing wickedness, so now offer yourselves as slaves to righteousness leading to holiness. 20 When you were slaves to sin, you were free from the control of righteousness. 21 What benefit did you reap at that time from the things you are now ashamed of? Those things result in death! 22 But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life. 23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in[b] Christ Jesus our Lord.
Purpose: Continuing a series from the Book of Romans, here drawing the contrast between sin’s death and Christ’s life.
Keywords: Death God Grace Life Sin
Series Romans Revival
Introduction
Finally, the truth has been revealed relative to the “Shroud of Turin.” For hundreds of years there has been speculation about this simple linen shroud. It was claimed to be the burial shroud in which Jesus was buried, and was for centuries, Christendom’s most baffling relic.
The relic is controlled by the Catholic bishop of Turin, and thus its name, although it is owned by Umberto II, a deposed king of Italy who, at last report, lived in Portugal.
It is just over 4-1/2 meters long, and just under one meter wide. It has been submitted to extensive scientific analysis, including carbon 14 dating, and computer technology. Even pollen samples were evaluated.
The shawl had blood in all the right places. Even the imprint of a human face. But the computers could not confirm its validity, and said absolutely nothing about life after death. It was determined that should this be proved to be the right cloth, then Jesus was 5’10-1/2”, and weighed 175 pounds.
Well, in fact now we know that it was not the burial shroud of Jesus. Even the Catholic Church admits that the early history of the cloth cannot be ascertained.
What if? What if it were the cloth? Suppose that these tests authenticated the shroud. We Christians would have a miracle to flaunt. One of the scientific team members said,
“If Christ was resurrected from the dead, then the gospels are truth, and eternal life—immortality—is offered.” (Ray Rogers—Omni p.95)
But the possibility of a miracle no longer exists. We are not yet without hope, however. The Bible has much to say on the subject, and the apostle here affirms that death, for the believer, will be swallowed up in life. He speaks of a most “radical change,” and it is that death “hath no more dominion.”
I. So Radical a Change Acknowledges Death to Sin. V2 “How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it?” V6 “…Our old man is crucified with him.”
To begin with, Paul has much to say on the subject of death. Beside this note of being “crucified” with Christ, death is alluded to fourteen times in these first eleven verses. It is a subject not given wide circulation in our sophisticated culture. Tabloids on display at check-out lines sensationalize it: “Five Psychics Tell Why They Believe in Life after Death.” The scientific community offers us the name of Elizabeth Kubler-Ross as the most knowledgeable: “Although I do not consider myself a particularly religious woman, I find no conflict between the Christian concept of an after-life, and my own careful studies on death.”
But the death here is not just the cessation of bodily function. Remember the legal ramifications invoked in the Karen Ann Quinlan case. Who could throw the switch? Someone finally did, and she survived on a tube feeding for nine years.
Biblically, death is the soulmate of sin, and is viewed judgmentally. But is God death’s source? The answer is a resounding “No!” We are emphatically told that the “wages of sin is death.” Thus, sin, and its corollary, resulted from acts of will.
So, as death is more than cessation, life is more than breathing and bodily function. A war correspondent in Vietnam told of interviewing a crusty Marine sergeant. He was eating cold beans with his bayonet. “If I could grant one request right now for you what would it be?” “Give me tomorrow!”
A TV special on “Violence in America” concluded with this evaluation, “Biological life alone is not enough for a rational being. He, or she, wants participation in the social process.”
For the believer, death dispels the power of sin to rule and distort lives. Chapter five dealt with sin and grace. Sin and death are personified in Adam. Grace and life are personified in Christ.
The present chapter moves more to the drum beat of faith (sanctification). V14 “For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.” Having received Christ as Saviour is being perceived of God as following a new leader. Satan has lost the battle for your soul. But he has not lost your address. Depending totally on the carnality of our faith, he exercises influence.
II. So Radical a Change Acknowledges that a New Life is Given. V11. “Likewise, you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” It is not mentality that separates man from the beasts of the field. Within limits they have intellect. Consider pets, zoo animals.
Nor is it our ability to communicate. The great whales are said to communicate over hundreds, thousands of miles of ocean. Diane Fosse studied the great apes. Her death may be attributed to her affinity. Brahmans, Hindus, see animals as “brothers with them before God.” (National Geographic, November 1988)
What separates man from beast is his potential to faith-relationship with God. Scriptures declare this uniqueness. Genesis 2:7 “God . . . breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.” It is that “breath of God” that we know as faith. It is here that “baptism” enters into Paul’s discussion. Baptism is the “sign” of that faith. Not salvation by legalist “rite,” but that baptism is expressive of that faith. Faith shows itself in many ways. Baptism is one.
We also have a fairly complete criteria of what that faith-relationship consists of. First it is dependable. In V11 we read “reckon”—to us often meaning no more than “suppose.” Then, it was an accounting term reflecting absolute accuracy. Secondly, it is free. V20 Enslaved to sin, we are set free to righteousness. V18, 23. Such faith knows no class distinction. Lastly, it is eternal. The word aionios means “eternal,” “endless.”
III. So Radical a Change Comes Through Jesus Christ. V23 “But the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” The place of Christ in the equation of salvation is without equal. We were “baptized” (v3) into Christ Jesus. Our fleshly being was “crucified”(v6) with Jesus. “Death” in Christ Jesus is what frees us from sin (v7). Thus, we come to “live” (v11) through Jesus. And ultimately, eternal life (v23) comes through Him.
Lay to rest any thought that religion is nothing more than a person’s sincerity. There are waves of people who are sincerely wrong. At the abortion clinic, the young pregnant woman advises opponents to keep their “morals off of her body.” People around Louisiana think that devil worship by teenagers is idle (sic) curiosity. Sincere people say “God wouldn’t send anyone to hell.” Satan would, and he would gladly use our being “sincerely wrong” to accomplish it.
Conclusion
An unknown author left a couplet on death.
Some men die by shrapnel, some go down in flames.
But most men perish inch by inch, in play at little games.
Death comes to all alike. The method, manner may change, but only Christ makes a difference in dying. As there is more to life than blood flow, breath, body function, there is more to death than dying.
BE STILL AND KNOW
#048 BE STILL AND KNOW
Scripture Psalm 46:1-11 NIV Orig. 8-18-63 (1-76)
Rewr. June 30, 1991
Passage: God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.
2 Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea,
3 though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging.[c]
4 There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy place where the Most High dwells.
5 God is within her, she will not fall; God will help her at break of day.
6 Nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall; he lifts his voice, the earth melts.
7 The Lord Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.
8 Come and see what the Lord has done, the desolations he has brought on the earth.
9 He makes wars cease to the ends of the earth. He breaks the bow and shatters the spear; he burns the shields[d] with fire.
10 He says, “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.”
11 The Lord Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.
Purpose: To share a Sunday evening message to encourage my people to be tuned in to things that are spiritually beneficial.
Keywords: Healing King and Kingdom Satan, Influence
Timeline/Series: Psalms
Introduction
Reading from a commentary on The Psalms, I came across a story from the pen of Dr. G.H. Morrison, a great scholar, archaeologist of the Bible land and its people. He told of a time when an archaeological dig was underway in the Biblical city of Shechem. He wrote that beneath that ancient city were flowing streams of water. Dr. Morrison said that during the busy hours of the day there was no evidence of those streams. The topography of Shechem was dry, the weather oppressively hot. But when night descended upon the city it was different. The streets and bazaars were quieted, the noise and confusion of busy people was stilled. In that quietness, the humming of those buried streams could be heard.
Years ago we took our little girls to Ridgecrest for the first time. We were staying in a cottage across the highway, and just at the base of one of the mountains. A small brook cascaded down the mountainside just behind the cottage. During the day, unless the girls dragged us out back to wade, we were oblivious to it. But at night, through our bedroom window, came the therapeutic sounds of that stream to our tired bodies.
Most of us have already mapped out our plans for tomorrow and the rest of the week. Do you suppose that some of the things that would otherwise be a healing blessing to us, we will not enjoy because we have programmed these things in a separate mode? We will be so busy with lesser things, that things of the Spirit will go unnoticed.
I. The Only Place to Begin is in Consideration of the Pace at Which We Live Our Lives. V2 “Though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea; Though the waters thereof roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with the swelling thereof.”
It is a text drawn straight out of the 20th Century. Is it Mount Pinatubo in the Philippines that continues to wreak havoc? Is it the sound of tanks, ripping cars and trucks apart? Is it the silence of malnourished children calling out their plight?
Elijah had a similar experience. I Kings 19: He had seen God work a miracle, but he heard the threat of a vindictive woman, Jezebel. In the wilderness, he encountered wind, earthquake, fire. There came finally, “a still small voice.”
The loud voices of ill will linger. Bertrand Russell: “All the labors of the ages, all the devotions, all the inspirations, all the noonday brightness of human genius, are destined to extinction in the vast death of the solar system.” H.G. Wells: “The end of everything we call life is close at hand and cannot be evaded.”
Even many with a religious bent saw Operation Desert Storm as the first phase of Armageddon.
The Psalmist saw in physical exercise the social upheavals of our day. Eastern Europe is being thrown upon political unrest. Today’s news magazine devoted its entire copy to racial unrest: “Only educated, white men” escape. Closer to home is the theological unrest dividing most denominations.
II. Then There is Consideration of the Pause. V10 advises “Be still and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth.” What better time to pause and reflect than on the occasion of an anniversary? Be still and consider what these 22 years have meant: A church at the far edge of a great city has become a potentially great church ministering in a neighborhood of roughly 50,000 people through a handful of committed people. There is a relationship of sharing with 350 member families, with at least 350 other families being touched by ministries.
Meanwhile, out on the periphery there are those who want the church to lie down and play dead. And there are some that are capitulating to the world and any church, Riverside included, must face that as a viable option. If some so-called religious leaders had their way, the choice given to the church would be whether the information on the tombstone listed suicide or murder.
The “Be still” of the Lord God didn’t mean throwing in the towel. It meant, “Be reminded again, as others have had to be, whence cometh your strength.” The word means to “relax.” One is reminded of the Sabbath-rest.
But remember, this was a purposeful cessation of activity. It is nice sometimes to cast away all responsibility, but for the Christian the cessation is to be creative. Too many people take an unwarranted sabbatical. Bible Study last week was a case in point. It was announced. It was on the calendar. We still had less than 15% representation of deacons.
I have a kind of dream for us for this year. It is that we can spread our necessary administrating out wide enough that enough people can share in it that it is no longer our priority; it is that we can minister rather than ADminister.
Vance Havner wrote in “Christ for the World” that “the trouble with churches today is that they have too much supper room and too little upper room.” What better place to “be still” than when we come into God’s presence? One person asked her pastor to tone down the “prelude” because she couldn’t hear what her friend in the pew ahead said.
III. Consider, Finally, the Peace it Institutes. V11 “The Lord God of Hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge.” We have a poor concept of peace these days. We think of peace as a state of warlessness. But peace is a state of personal experience in which we are called and challenged to express a life-altering faith in God. I like Mark’s account in Mark 4:36 of the stilling of the storm on the Sea of Galilee. “And He said unto the sea, ‘Peace, be still.” Then to the disciples, ‘Have you not yet faith?’”
We know that God has promised His people peace. Yet far too many of us live in total frustration because we cannot get those around us to live like we want. Isaiah 54:17 “No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and their righteousness is of me, saith the Lord.”
Read anew the tragic accounting of peace in Luke 19:37f. Jesus came near to Jerusalem, with the disciples rejoicing in what was seen. “Blessed be the King who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!” The Pharisees told Him to rebuke His disciples because this is no time for peace. He said to them “If these should hold their peace, the stones will cry out.” He came to the city and wept over it. “If thou hadst known . . . the things which belong to thy peace! But now they are hid from thine eyes.”
Paul would late learn the meaning of Jerusalem’s proffered peace, which the Pharisees and publicans, and too many prophets, priests, preachers, and other pretenders miss. “I have learned in whatever state I am, therein to be content.”
CONCLUSION
Would that I could communicate to you the real meaning of St. Francis of Assisi’s prayer:
Lord, make me an instrument of Thy peace.
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
Where there is injury, pardon;
Where there is doubt, faith;
Where there is despair, hope;
Where there is darkness, light;
Where there is sadness, joy.
O, Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek
To be consoled as to console,
To be understood as to understand,
To be loved as to love.
For it is in giving that we receive,
It is in pardoning that we are pardoned,
And it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.