Quote from Forum Archives on April 4, 2006, 11:13 am

Posted by: bhfbc <bhfbc@...>

PREPARING FOR LIFE

March 19, 2006

 

TEXT: Romans 8:28-39

 

The last couple of weeks has seen the death of some well known personalities in American culture. Don Knotts, Maureen Stapleton, Dennis Weaver, and Dana Reeve are some of the notable names of those who have died. All of them receive accolades for their lifetime accomplishments. Dana Reeve, for example, has been praised for her own battle with cancer and for her work for stem cell research support. Dana was the wife of Christopher Reeve, the actor who was paralyzed in a horse riding accident. Because of his paralysis, Dana became an advocate for the use of stem cells in research in the hope that new medical discoveries could be made. Whether one agrees with her about the role stem cells can play in such research, that is one of the primary things she is remembered for.

Through all of the praises given these and other celebrities for their contributions to our society, one critical dimension is unfortunately missing. There are no overt praises being lifted up that any of these people prepared for life. That may sound strange at first since they have received so many fine praises for what they have accomplished in life, but hear me out. What we call death is not an end, but a continuation of life. And it is a life for which we have the responsibility to prepare ourselves for. I am talking, of course, about our spiritual life, and our relationship with God through the victorious triumph of Jesus Christ over sin and death. We must prepare in our mortal life to continue our eternal relationship with God at the time of our death. Failing to believe in Christ as our Savior now results in eternal separation from God later. Did any of these celebrities who recently died have that personal, saving relationship with God? I don’t know; no one is saying. That is not part of the honors being bestowed upon them. Neither does any of their personal lives, to the extent they are made public, indicate that they enjoyed a personal relationship with God. Frankly, I don’t know if they were preparing for life or not.

In contrast, New Testament authors write extensively that our belief influences - even dictates - our behavior. Paul writes in Romans 12:1-2, “Therefore, I urge you, brothers, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God - which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is - his good, pleasing and perfect will.” In this morning’s text, he instructs, “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” We are supposed to be preparing for life, and that includes the way that we live.

I am not implying that we practice a works-righteous faith. It is not our works and behavior that save us. Salvation is from God; it is clearly His work. Paul continues, “For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be firstborn among many brothers. And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified.” Salvation comes from the hand of God, not the hand of man.

That, then, is the source of our responsibility to live consistently according to God’s plan and instruction. Preparing for life means that we make as big a deal about God’s love as Paul does. “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?… No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” This is an amazing expression of faith, and it is most certainly an amazing declaration of preparing for life.

In contrast to the human honors and awards that most of our celebrities covet, born-again Christians quietly, but powerfully, give evidence of their faith day in and day out. Men and women continuing to volunteer for Hurricane Katrina clean up from our Indiana churches, through Samaritan’s Purse, and with other Christian ministries go about their witness without making it a celebrity event. Because of the conquering power of Jesus, Christians set aside comfort, ease, and even safety in order to respond to catastrophes all over the world. Again, doing these things do not make anyone a Christian, but they are things that Christians are supposed to be doing. They are a part of the things we do that prepare us for life.

The Ray Boltz ballad, “Thank You,” provides a good illustration of this. A Christian arrives in heaven and is greeted by those whose lives were changed by his small, unnoticeable, even trivial acts of compassion on earth. A student came to Christ in a Sunday School class he taught. Men and women from other nations received the saving word of God because of missionaries he supported. Ray goes on to describe other ways in which this average, common believer changed lives in ways he could never know about on earth. That’s preparing for life!

Like the beginning of Big Idea’s VeggieTales videos remind us, this is why we do what we do. This is why we have some of our members participate in mission trips and relief ministries. This is why we support them in particular and other ministries like Samaritan’s Purse in general. This is why we contribute our resources to missionary support. This is why we teach Sunday school classes, lead youth groups, sing in the choir, worship, pray, witness. This is why we do what we do. We want to be prepared for life, and we long to witness others prepare for life, too. “In all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.”

On March 11 and 12, Franklin Graham returned to New Orleans with his father, Billy Graham. In spite of all the relief efforts that Samaritan’s Purse ministries have provided, this mission was vital; they called this their “Spiritual Rescue Mission.” The report of this ministry event reads, “Billy and Franklin Graham brought messages of God’s everlasting love to New Orleans—and more than 1,300 committed their lives to Jesus Christ…. ‘God loves us with an everlasting love,’ [Billy Graham] said. ‘Christ endured physical and spiritual death so that we could be saved through faith in Him.’ On Saturday evening, Franklin Graham recalled the stirring images of thousands of desperate victims being saved from the surging flood waters of Katrina. ‘No one will ever forget the scenes of these people standing on roof tops, waiting to be rescued,’ he said. ‘When God sent His Son to earth, it was a rescue mission to save us from our sins. God loves New Orleans, He loves Louisiana and Texas, Mississippi and Alabama. He has not abandoned you. Tonight we all can have the hope of heaven if we put our faith and trust in Jesus Christ.’… Despite their own woes, many who had lost everything to Katrina saw this weekend’s meetings as an opportunity to share their storm-tested faith with others. Jim Niemeyer’s home was destroyed when the 17th Street canal broke, submerging much of east New Orleans under as much as 11 feet of water. The 67-year-old man signed on to the Celebration as a counselor… ‘People ask me where I see God in all this,’ he said. ‘I tell them I see the Lord in all the faith-based organizations like the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association and Samaritan's Purse who are reaching out to help in Jesus name. Katrina has only served to strengthen my faith.’… Nathaniel Gaten is living in one of the trailers provided by Samaritan's Purse. His home in east New Orleans was swamped by 5 ½-feet of water. ‘The Lord has provided for me in the midst of the storm,’ he said. ‘God has allowed me to reach out and share with others how He has sustained me, so others can know they’re not alone.’ Elsa Ravencraft lost her home to Katrina’s powerful winds that shredded her roof. She is also staying in one of Samaritan's Purse’s trailers and volunteered at the Celebration. ‘God says we should serve Him all the time, not just when everything is wonderful,’ she said. ‘He says that we should be joyful in all circumstances.’ Many of those who came forward to commit their lives to Christ had experienced the full wrath of the storm. David, 83, is living with his daughter in nearby Gretna since he lost his house to the floodwaters. He came forward to rededicate his life to Jesus. ‘I’ve been knocked down by Katrina, but I’m getting back up,’ he said. ‘I have lots of hope now.’… Boothville/Venice Fire Chief Ernest “Noonie” Bourgeois said Katrina was like an ‘atomic bomb’ that went off. They lost their home to the floodwaters, but his wife, Ida, said their faith has been renewed. ‘We go to bed every night thanking the Lord for the day we had, and we wake up every morning thanking Him for the day ahead,’ she said. ‘You have to look forward, you can’t look back.’ Daniel Genter summed up the meetings’ faith-building effect for the city. ‘The Celebration of Hope is definitely of God,’ he said. ‘The Christian community has really stepped up and it is what is lifting us up now. The churches have fed and clothed the people, and now we’re sharing the Gospel with them. This city needs to be born again.’” (www.samaritanspurse.org/MP_Article.asp?ArticleID=81)

Technically, cities do not need to be born again, of course. The people in cities, and everywhere else need to be born again. That is how we prepare for life. “…In all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

 

Rev. Charles A. Layne
First Baptist Church
Bunker Hill, Indiana

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