Sermon No. 1

The Rest Of Your Life

The apostle Paul was one of the most diligent workers for the Kingdom. He was also one of the most brilliant thinkers. He traveled extensively . . . and he suffered more than most.

Remember his letter to the Romans, that "suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope." (Romans 5:4)

Let's be clear about this: God does not cause everything that happens to us. That would be predestination. It would also portray a violent God. But God is present with us in all that happens, including all our adversities.

Most of us have heard from our parents or teachers, "This is for your own good." And that famous sentence (you can take the word "sentence" both ways) normally precedes some punishment, usually of the violent kind! Punishment is usually violent, isn't it! Which is why my wife usually used "time out" (go sit on a chair) most of the time. Violent type punishment is more for the temper of the inflicter than for the "good" of the recipient!

Our concern today is not the inflicting of punishment, nor the causes of adversity. I do not accept the idea that God punishes, nor do I believe in the use of violence in any kind of punishment. We will consider the effect of adversity, specifically as we look at Romans 8:28. When I was associate minister at Cass Methodist, our senior minister Lew Redmond quoted that verse many times. It was his favorite verse. It has become one of my favorites. "We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him . . ."

Many things happen to us because we bring them on ourselves. Emerson said, "Beware of what you want, for you will get it." He could have added, "Beware of what you fear." Mind over matter is more than just a cliché. It is a principle. It is both physiological (neurotransmitters) and psychological. The brain "sees" pictures in our imagination, and the more it receives and dwells on the pictures, the more likely the incident will occur.

You remember the Walentias, famous high-wire artists. The father had a dream, that he fell from the wire. He could not shake that from his mind. He tho't or dreamed about it often. And what happened? You know what happened. Here in Detroit, he fell to his death!

Life most often deals us the kind of experiences we expect, and too often we expect the wrong things.

Paul did not "ask for" the troubles which led him to proclaim that "all things work for the good . . ." But when they came his way, he accepted them, even joyfully!

Fanny Crosby was blind most of her life. Someone once commiserated that blindness was a heavy cross to bear. Her answer was, "Not at all. If I weren't blind I couldn't possibly have written so many hymns." You may remember that she wrote more than 8000 hymns!

Shakespeare put these words in the voice of Hamlet: "There is a special providence in the fall of a sparrow." That is hard to understand! Providence in the fall of a sparrow?

Providence is mystical to us, made more so by the common supposition that "providential" implies a divine interference in the natural course of events. It looks like favoritism, doesn't it? In one case God, or nature, seems to suspend her laws; in another case, not so! Some prayers are "answered," others are not. Some people are healed, others die. Some are successful, others are not.

One writer confessed that "the longer I live, the more faith I have in Providence, and the less faith I have in my interpretation of Providence."

The word "providence" is from Abraham's word to Isaac on the way up the mountain: "My son, God will provide."

So, altho I say a loud Amen to Paul's dictum to always give thanks to God for everything, (Ephesians 5:20) I can't claim that victory yet!

E. Stanley Jones was a Methodist missionary to India, friend of Gandhi, author of many books. He could have been wealthy from the royalties on his books. But he used the money to educate young people.

When he was 87, he had a stroke and could no longer write, so he dictated his last book into a tape recorder. The name of the book was The Divine Yes. In spite of his handicap he knew all things work together for good.

My Dad retired when he was 80, then had a stroke. He spent most of the rest of his life in a wheelchair. He lived another 12 years, during which he wrote his best two books, preached often, taught Bible classes.

The apostle Paul was beaten, starved, shipwrecked, betrayed and imprisoned . . . yet he wrote "all things work together for good."

Our Epistle today is a fascinating bit of clever rhetoric. Paul had founded the church at Corinth about 50 AD, and spent about a year establishing them in the Faith. Then, after he took off on one of his missionary journeys, the church came unglued. Cliques, leadership squabbles, drinking, ignoring the material needs of the poor. Paul wants them to get their act together! He pulls rank!

A casual reading might picture Paul as arrogant, flaunting his record of service. Or as paranoid. But note carefully the rationale -- he is able to endure because he is a messenger on a mission. God's grace enables him to take it "in great endurance."

The word translated "endurance" does not mean a passive acceptance of unfortunate circumstances. There is no accurate English translation. Perseverance comes close. Active, not passive.

Steadfast purpose. Paul is saying he moved aggressively against the stresses, trials and forces against him.

The word gives depth to each of the nine life conflicts.

The first three things he must endure are internal conflicts -- afflictions, hardships, calamities. They are the physical, spiritual, mental pressures which are part of living the life of a disciple of Jesus.

The second cluster of problems -- beatings, imprisonments, riots -- are those difficulties inflicted by others. In Paul's case, they were mainly physical tortures. By this time he had his initials on the walls of many prisons. For most disciples today, others-inflicted problems are likely not physical.

The third list of hardships -- fatigue, sleepless nights, hunger -- are conditions which are "self-inflicted." They come with the territory to anyone who takes discipleship seriously.

It is particularly interesting that all nine trials are plural, while "endurance" is singular. Not only that, but Paul adds an adjective to endurance. It is by great endurance, much endurance that he was victorious.

From a triple trilogy of trials to a triple trilogy of triumphs, Paul assures us that it is by God's grace that he is able to be and to do.

First: purity, knowledge and patience. Purity, his motives are right. Paul did not ask for pay.

His ministry was just that, ministry, not a job. In knowledge, Paul certainly excelled. He had a formal education under the rabbis and a miraculous education in the wilderness. Patience is a virtue in every relationship. And every relationship needs patience!

The next triality of blessings are: kindness, the Holy Spirit and agape-love. These virtues are the result of grace, the display of grace, the work of grace. Only by grace can they be accomplished, and only by grace can ministry be effective.

Kindness is the "sweetness of character that puts others at ease." What is translated "the Holy Spirit" may better be "the spirit of holiness." Paul's motives were indeed holy. Agape is that unique word for unconditional love.

Finally: the word of truth, the power of God, and weapons of righteousness in the right hand and in the left. Paul thus pursued his ministry. "Word of truth" means he preached what people needed to hear, not what they wanted to hear. "In the power of God" precluded his being arrogant or boastful. The "weapons of righteousness in the right hand and in the left" refer to the sword of the Spirit carried in the right hand and the shield of faith in the left hand. These are weapons of attack and defense.

Paul continues his colorful pencraft with some contrasts. His ministry has endured high honors, and disdain. He was praised, and defamed; flattered, and criticized; appreciated, and slandered. All the negative reaction to his ministry hurt Paul, yet he remained joyful. He was poor, yet he was rich. He owned little, yet he owned the world.

What an inspiration Paul is to anyone who seeks to minister in the paradigm of Jesus! Only if and when a follower of Jesus disdains material advantages and lives by faith and trust can he be a truly Jesus-style, Paul-style servant. It is a challenge few are willing to accept, but it is the secret to Biblical ministry.

Maybe it's too much to expect today's Christians to accept Paul's challenge. Maybe it's unrealistic to expect the church to grow as it did in those early days!

Back to Paul's promise: "suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope."

Paul was able to delicately balance pride and humility, self-confidence and recognition that all things come from above. That is not an easy task.

Self-concept, self-image, self-esteem form a concept important to ministry fulfillment. Please don't confuse that with selfishness, self-gratification and self-seeking. Positive pride is indispensable. Unholy pride is a sin.

A church bought a new organ. Two recitals featured the new organ. The first was played by the church organist, who was well known and highly respected in the community. The congregation was justifiably proud of their organist.

The next concert was performed by Virgil Fox. If you ever saw Virgil Fox play, you understand why the church was packed. He was a flamboyant, colorful artist. I saw him twice.

He played with his back to the audience so we could watch his hands and feet. He had lights on his shoes!

The church organist sat in the balcony. During the applause he was heard to say, "I'm not Virgil Fox, I'm not Virgil Fox . . ." At intermission he stumbled out of the church mumbling, "I'm not Virgil Fox, I'm not Virgil Fox, I'm not Virgil Fox . . ."

No, he was not Virgil Fox. He was the church organist. He was loved, respected, a fine organist. He was who he was, but he couldn't accept that as enough. His negative self-image drove him to become an alcoholic.

If suffering produces perseverance and perseverance produces character, it is no wonder Paul was grateful even for adversities. If adversities made him a better man, more worthy and successful for Christ, then they contributed to his goal in life. That is a challenge!

If Jesus gave us anything by example and by teaching, it is that all people are important to him. Everyone matters. Each of us is a unique masterpiece.

You are a one-of-a-kind. When we repeat our Statement of Faith we say, "He seeks in holy love to save all people from aimlessness and sin." That is God's challenge to develop an aim for your life, a plan. There should be a sign on our church -- No Drifters Allowed.

"Composition #1" is the title of a new novel. The pages are unnumbered and unbound. You can shuffle them at random, like a deck of cards.
The instructions say, "From there the story will unfold. The story of your life will just unfold at random."

So, let life unfold however it does? No, no, no. Jesus invites, "Follow me." Aimlessness is sort of like the sign: "He who believes anything believes nothing. He who stands for nothing is worth nothing!"

With Paul, we must make the best of every situation. We must not let adversities discourage us, nor success spoil us.

The Bay of Naples, Italy, is the habitat for jellyfish called Medusa and snails of the Nudibranch variety. A jellyfish can swallow a small snail, but the snail's shell prevents the fish from digesting it. The snail fastens itself to the inside of the jellyfish and begins to eat away. By the time it is fully grown, it has consumed the entire fish.

I guess we can learn a couple of lessons from the jellyfish. First, don't feast on dangerous snails -- hate, greed, bigotry. And beware of aimlessness.

From the snail we can learn that there is always good food available -- physical, mental, spiritual food. Hopelessness is not our cup of tea!

After a stellar performance by a concert pianist, a woman gushed, "I'd give anything to play like that."

The artist smiled and said, "Well, you may do so. All it costs is 8 hours a day, 6 days a week for 20 years."

Paul would like that. Perseverance was his password. Never give up. You remember Churchill's commencement speech at a small college in Missouri. He had been asked by president Truman to give it. Here is his entire speech, as I heard the report:

"Never, never, never, never, never, never, never, never, never, never give up."

Paul was who he was because he never gave up. He didn't have an easy road. Jesus did not promise an easy road.

A mother walked in on her six-year old son who was crying. "What's the matter?"

"I just learned how to tie my shoes."

"That's wonderful. Why are you crying?"

"Because now I'll have to do it every day for the rest of my life."

Albert Einstein said, "I think and think for months, for years. Ninety-nine times the conclusion is false. The hundredth time I am right."

Dear saints, if you take Jesus seriously, you will appreciate our Statement of Faith: "He calls us into his church to accept the cost and joy of discipleship," every day for the rest of your life. You may be called on to endure hardships of one kind or another.

Paul and the other disciples did that for the rest of their lives. Their retirement was martyrdom.

But just before he died, Paul said, "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day . . ." (II Timothy 4:7, 8)

I invite you to take Paul seriously. I invite you to take Jesus seriously, every day for the rest of your life.

Let us pray . . .



		The Rest Of Your Life
		The apostle Paul was one of the most diligent workers for the Kingdom. He was also one of the most brilliant thinkers. He traveled extensively . . . and he suffered more than most. Remember his letter to the Romans, that "suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope." (Romans 5:4) Let's be clear about this: God does not cause everything that happens to us. That would be predestination. It would also portray a violent God. But God is present with us in all that happens, including all our adversities. Most of us have heard from our parents or teachers, "This is for your own good." And that famous sentence (you can take the word "sentence" both ways) normally precedes some punishment, usually of the violent kind! Punishment is usually violent, isn't it! Which is why my wife usually used "time out" (go sit on a chair) most of the time. Violent type punishment is more for the temper of the inflicter than for the "good" of the recipient! Our concern today is not the inflicting of punishment, nor the causes of adversity. I do not accept the idea that God punishes, nor do I believe in the use of violence in any kind of punishment. We will consider the effect of adversity, specifically as we look at Romans 8:28. When I was associate minister at Cass Methodist, our senior minister Lew Redmond quoted that verse many times. It was his favorite verse. It has become one of my favorites. "We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him . . ." Many things happen to us because we bring them on ourselves. Emerson said, "Beware of what you want, for you will get it." He could have added, "Beware of what you fear." Mind over matter is more than just a cliché. It is a principle. It is both physiological (neurotransmitters) and psychological. The brain "sees" pictures in our imagination, and the more it receives and dwells on the pictures, the more likely the incident will occur. You remember the Walentias, famous high-wire artists. The father had a dream, that he fell from the wire. He could not shake that from his mind. He tho't or dreamed about it often. And what happened? You know what happened. Here in Detroit, he fell to his death! Life most often deals us the kind of experiences we expect, and too often we expect the wrong things. Paul did not "ask for" the troubles which led him to proclaim that "all things work for the good . . ." But when they came his way, he accepted them, even joyfully! Fanny Crosby was blind most of her life. Someone once commiserated that blindness was a heavy cross to bear. Her answer was, "Not at all. If I weren't blind I couldn't possibly have written so many hymns." You may remember that she wrote more than 8000 hymns! Shakespeare put these words in the voice of Hamlet: "There is a special providence in the fall of a sparrow." That is hard to understand! Providence in the fall of a sparrow? Providence is mystical to us, made more so by the common supposition that "providential" implies a divine interference in the natural course of events. It looks like favoritism, doesn't it? In one case God, or nature, seems to suspend her laws; in another case, not so! Some prayers are "answered," others are not. Some people are healed, others die. Some are successful, others are not. One writer confessed that "the longer I live, the more faith I have in Providence, and the less faith I have in my interpretation of Providence." The word "providence" is from Abraham's word to Isaac on the way up the mountain: "My son, God will provide." So, altho I say a loud Amen to Paul's dictum to always give thanks to God for everything, (Ephesians 5:20) I can't claim that victory yet! E. Stanley Jones was a Methodist missionary to India, friend of Gandhi, author of many books. He could have been wealthy from the royalties on his books. But he used the money to educate young people. When he was 87, he had a stroke and could no longer write, so he dictated his last book into a tape recorder. The name of the book was The Divine Yes. In spite of his handicap he knew all things work together for good. My Dad retired when he was 80, then had a stroke. He spent most of the rest of his life in a wheelchair. He lived another 12 years, during which he wrote his best two books, preached often, taught Bible classes. The apostle Paul was beaten, starved, shipwrecked, betrayed and imprisoned . . . yet he wrote "all things work together for good." Our Epistle today is a fascinating bit of clever rhetoric. Paul had founded the church at Corinth about 50 AD, and spent about a year establishing them in the Faith. Then, after he took off on one of his missionary journeys, the church came unglued. Cliques, leadership squabbles, drinking, ignoring the material needs of the poor. Paul wants them to get their act together! He pulls rank! A casual reading might picture Paul as arrogant, flaunting his record of service. Or as paranoid. But note carefully the rationale -- he is able to endure because he is a messenger on a mission. God's grace enables him to take it "in great endurance." The word translated "endurance" does not mean a passive acceptance of unfortunate circumstances. There is no accurate English translation. Perseverance comes close. Active, not passive. Steadfast purpose. Paul is saying he moved aggressively against the stresses, trials and forces against him. The word gives depth to each of the nine life conflicts. The first three things he must endure are internal conflicts -- afflictions, hardships, calamities. They are the physical, spiritual, mental pressures which are part of living the life of a disciple of Jesus. The second cluster of problems -- beatings, imprisonments, riots -- are those difficulties inflicted by others. In Paul's case, they were mainly physical tortures. By this time he had his initials on the walls of many prisons. For most disciples today, others-inflicted problems are likely not physical. The third list of hardships -- fatigue, sleepless nights, hunger -- are conditions which are "self-inflicted." They come with the territory to anyone who takes discipleship seriously. It is particularly interesting that all nine trials are plural, while "endurance" is singular. Not only that, but Paul adds an adjective to endurance. It is by great endurance, much endurance that he was victorious. From a triple trilogy of trials to a triple trilogy of triumphs, Paul assures us that it is by God's grace that he is able to be and to do. First: purity, knowledge and patience. Purity, his motives are right. Paul did not ask for pay. His ministry was just that, ministry, not a job. In knowledge, Paul certainly excelled. He had a formal education under the rabbis and a miraculous education in the wilderness. Patience is a virtue in every relationship. And every relationship needs patience! The next triality of blessings are: kindness, the Holy Spirit and agape-love. These virtues are the result of grace, the display of grace, the work of grace. Only by grace can they be accomplished, and only by grace can ministry be effective. Kindness is the "sweetness of character that puts others at ease." What is translated "the Holy Spirit" may better be "the spirit of holiness." Paul's motives were indeed holy. Agape is that unique word for unconditional love. Finally: the word of truth, the power of God, and weapons of righteousness in the right hand and in the left. Paul thus pursued his ministry. "Word of truth" means he preached what people needed to hear, not what they wanted to hear. "In the power of God" precluded his being arrogant or boastful. The "weapons of righteousness in the right hand and in the left" refer to the sword of the Spirit carried in the right hand and the shield of faith in the left hand. These are weapons of attack and defense. Paul continues his colorful pencraft with some contrasts. His ministry has endured high honors, and disdain. He was praised, and defamed; flattered, and criticized; appreciated, and slandered. All the negative reaction to his ministry hurt Paul, yet he remained joyful. He was poor, yet he was rich. He owned little, yet he owned the world. What an inspiration Paul is to anyone who seeks to minister in the paradigm of Jesus! Only if and when a follower of Jesus disdains material advantages and lives by faith and trust can he be a truly Jesus-style, Paul-style servant. It is a challenge few are willing to accept, but it is the secret to Biblical ministry. Maybe it's too much to expect today's Christians to accept Paul's challenge. Maybe it's unrealistic to expect the church to grow as it did in those early days! Back to Paul's promise: "suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope." Paul was able to delicately balance pride and humility, self-confidence and recognition that all things come from above. That is not an easy task. Self-concept, self-image, self-esteem form a concept important to ministry fulfillment. Please don't confuse that with selfishness, self-gratification and self-seeking. Positive pride is indispensable. Unholy pride is a sin. A church bought a new organ. Two recitals featured the new organ. The first was played by the church organist, who was well known and highly respected in the community. The congregation was justifiably proud of their organist. The next concert was performed by Virgil Fox. If you ever saw Virgil Fox play, you understand why the church was packed. He was a flamboyant, colorful artist. I saw him twice. He played with his back to the audience so we could watch his hands and feet. He had lights on his shoes! The church organist sat in the balcony. During the applause he was heard to say, "I'm not Virgil Fox, I'm not Virgil Fox . . ." At intermission he stumbled out of the church mumbling, "I'm not Virgil Fox, I'm not Virgil Fox, I'm not Virgil Fox . . ." No, he was not Virgil Fox. He was the church organist. He was loved, respected, a fine organist. He was who he was, but he couldn't accept that as enough. His negative self-image drove him to become an alcoholic. If suffering produces perseverance and perseverance produces character, it is no wonder Paul was grateful even for adversities. If adversities made him a better man, more worthy and successful for Christ, then they contributed to his goal in life. That is a challenge! If Jesus gave us anything by example and by teaching, it is that all people are important to him. Everyone matters. Each of us is a unique masterpiece. You are a one-of-a-kind. When we repeat our Statement of Faith we say, "He seeks in holy love to save all people from aimlessness and sin." That is God's challenge to develop an aim for your life, a plan. There should be a sign on our church -- No Drifters Allowed. "Composition #1" is the title of a new novel. The pages are unnumbered and unbound. You can shuffle them at random, like a deck of cards. The instructions say, "From there the story will unfold. The story of your life will just unfold at random." So, let life unfold however it does? No, no, no. Jesus invites, "Follow me." Aimlessness is sort of like the sign: "He who believes anything believes nothing. He who stands for nothing is worth nothing!" With Paul, we must make the best of every situation. We must not let adversities discourage us, nor success spoil us. The Bay of Naples, Italy, is the habitat for jellyfish called Medusa and snails of the Nudibranch variety. A jellyfish can swallow a small snail, but the snail's shell prevents the fish from digesting it. The snail fastens itself to the inside of the jellyfish and begins to eat away. By the time it is fully grown, it has consumed the entire fish. I guess we can learn a couple of lessons from the jellyfish. First, don't feast on dangerous snails -- hate, greed, bigotry. And beware of aimlessness. From the snail we can learn that there is always good food available -- physical, mental, spiritual food. Hopelessness is not our cup of tea! After a stellar performance by a concert pianist, a woman gushed, "I'd give anything to play like that." The artist smiled and said, "Well, you may do so. All it costs is 8 hours a day, 6 days a week for 20 years." Paul would like that. Perseverance was his password. Never give up. You remember Churchill's commencement speech at a small college in Missouri. He had been asked by president Truman to give it. Here is his entire speech, as I heard the report: "Never, never, never, never, never, never, never, never, never, never give up." Paul was who he was because he never gave up. He didn't have an easy road. Jesus did not promise an easy road. A mother walked in on her six-year old son who was crying. "What's the matter?" "I just learned how to tie my shoes." "That's wonderful. Why are you crying?" "Because now I'll have to do it every day for the rest of my life." Albert Einstein said, "I think and think for months, for years. Ninety-nine times the conclusion is false. The hundredth time I am right." Dear saints, if you take Jesus seriously, you will appreciate our Statement of Faith: "He calls us into his church to accept the cost and joy of discipleship," every day for the rest of your life. You may be called on to endure hardships of one kind or another. Paul and the other disciples did that for the rest of their lives. Their retirement was martyrdom. But just before he died, Paul said, "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day . . ." (II Timothy 4:7, 8) I invite you to take Paul seriously. I invite you to take Jesus seriously, every day for the rest of your life. Let us pray . . .