STANDING TALL #9/9

#1 · March 28, 2005, 1:56 pm

Quote from Forum Archives on March 28, 2005, 1:56 pm
Posted by: bhfbc <bhfbc@...>

STANDING TALL #9/9
HALF EMPTY OR HALF FULL?
March 27, 2005

Text: 1 Peter 1:3-9

Anytime I tune into the radio stations I listen to regularly, I am
certain to hear an On-Star advertisement. On-Star is a system installed
in some automobiles that sounds absolutely amazing. If a subscriber is
broken down on the highway or in an accident, call On-Star, and they can
send help right to you. If your vehicle is stolen, call On-Star, and they
can direct police to the vehicles location. Even if you lock yourself
out of your car, call On-Star, and they can unlock your doors for you!
Amazing stuff.

This device look familiar to anybody? [hold up cell phone] Yep, a cell
phone. Whats the stated reason almost everyone has given for getting a
cell phone? [for emergencies] Its amazing the number of emergencies
people are having these days. Unbelievable that we were ever able to get
along without cell phones. Add to cell phones and On-Star other services
such as home security systems and gated communities, and you would think
that we would be feeling all safe and secure.

Yet, the opposite seems to be happening. Even with more gadgets to keep
us safe, I think that a lot of people are feeling unsafe. Crimes are
certainly not diminishing much. Carol [Shoaff] pointed out to me a few
days ago the extraordinary number of children who have been killed in
Indiana by a parent, guardian, or caretaker in just the last couple of
weeks. Tragically, those are not good signs. Theres an old saying that,
looking at the same half-filled glass of water, the optimist would say
that it is half full, but the pessimist would say that it is half empty.
Our Spiritual Adventure topic this morning, our final one for the
Adventure, deals with the fear of gathering doom. In other words, there
are a lot of reasons to look out over our culture, our nation, our world
and see the glass half empty.

But the Christian faith calls us to see and experience all of these
things differently. Christians are not called to be pessimistic.
Christians are not called to be optimistic. Christians are called to be
faithful-istic. I just made that word up; you ought to see the spell
checker light up with that one. Christians are to be faithfulistic. As we
have read, Peter writes, Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord
Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living
hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an
inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade - kept in heaven for
you, who through faith are shielded by God's power until the coming of
the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. Keep in
mind that as far as we know, each one of the original faithful disciples
except for John died a painful, violent, martyrs death. As far as we
know, each of them was persecuted in some manner during their lives. I
dont know this as an absolute fact, but I think that every one of them
was beaten and starved and deprived of basic necessities along the way.
We could easily form the opinion that they could have become a
pessimistic lot. But they didnt. Praise be to the God and Father of our
Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a
living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead
Peter, and all the rest, remained faithulistic.

How could they do this? In the face of all they experienced and suffered;
in the face of all the injustice they saw in their world; in the face of
the false religions that sought to undo the work of the Gospel, how could
they not become pessimistic and give in to the fear of gathering doom?
They had seen the risen Jesus. They had seen the victorious Jesus. They
had seen the fulfillment of prophecies that thousands of their
forefathers had only dreamed about. No wonder they were faithfulistic.

Their Master, and ours, taught about the future. We read some of it in
Luke 21:25-28. There will be signs in the sun, moon and stars. On the
earth, nations will be in anguish and perplexity at the roaring and
tossing of the sea. Men will faint from terror, apprehensive of what is
coming on the world, for the heavenly bodies will be shaken. At that time
they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great
glory. When these things begin to take place, stand up and lift up your
heads, because your redemption is drawing near. Not even Jesus denies
the presence of gathering doom. But, we are not enslaved by it. Stand
up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.

In case you havent noticed, the world has not advanced very far from the
gathering doom that Jesus and his disciples experienced in their day.
About the time we think that we take a few steps forward, sinful human
nature corrupts even the good. There was a lot of world optimism
following the turn of the twentieth century, and then the world was
plunged into the devastation of the first world war. Following the
horrors of that war, the desire of world leaders to avoid another
situation like that led to an environment in which an even more evil,
demented, and satanic dictator was able to create power for himself that
he would never have otherwise been able to obtain. So, World War II and
its subsequent horrors were visited upon humanity. Then there was the
Soviet threat to world peace and stability. The world was able to
celebrate a little bit after they crumbled, but since then the extreme
forms of terrorism that we are experiencing today have arisen. When will
it ever end? What are we supposed to do?

Be faithfulistic! There are differing beliefs about how the end times
will unfold. There are pre-millennial, post-millennial, mid-millennial,
and other theologies. There are a variety of studies that Scripturally
defend these different theologies. In spite of differences such as these,
I do know that the Bible teaches that Jesus will return literally and
physically. When he returns, we will receive an inheritance that can
never perish, spoil or fade In his commentary, Dr. Matthew Henry
details the importance of the inheritance that Peter writes about.
Having congratulated these people on their new birth, and the hope of
everlasting life, the apostle goes on to describe that life under the
notion of an inheritance, a most proper way of speaking to these people;
for they were poor and persecuted, perhaps turned out of their
inheritances to which they were born; to allay this grievance, he tells
them they were new-born to a new inheritance, infinitely better than what
they had lost. Besides, they were most of them Jews, and so had a great
affection to the land of Canaan, as the land of their inheritance,
settled upon them by God himself; and to be driven out from abiding in
the inheritance of the Lord was looked upon as a sore judgment. To
comfort them under this they are put in mind of a noble inheritance
reserved in heaven for them, such a one that the land of Canaan was but a
mere shadow in comparison with it. (Matthew Henrys Commentary on the
New Testament, First Edition, Electronic Edition STEP Files Copyright ©
2000, Findex.com, Inc.)

For three days, as they counted their days back then - crucified on
Friday, in the tomb through Saturday, and resurrected on Sunday - the
disciples faced the fear of gathering doom. They hid because they knew
they would be next if they were found. They saw their victorious King
executed in a most cruel, humiliating manner. They were doomed, and they
knew it.

But that was Friday. That was Saturday. The doom gathered and gathered.
Peter felt it probably greater than most, since he actually denied the
three times knowing Jesus. But after Sunday, this same Peter was capable
of writing, Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In
his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the
resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead

This is what our celebration of today, Easter, is all about. The victory
has been won! Peter and all the remaining disciples stood tall against
the gathering doom; so do we. Our bulletin journal teaches this lesson:
Sometimes when it seems like everything is bad in the headlines or in
the evening news, its good to think about how wonderful it will be when
Christ appears again. This same Jesus will be returning to gather all
those who believe in his death and resurrection to live eternally with
him. Be faithfulistic, children of God. Stand tall against the fear of
gathering doom. Stand tall against every fear that satan or man would set
before. Stand tall, because Jesus Christ is Lord. Though you have not
seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you
believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for
you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls.

Rev. Charles A. Layne, pastor, First Baptist Church, Bunker Hill, IN

Posted by: bhfbc <bhfbc@...>

STANDING TALL #9/9
HALF EMPTY OR HALF FULL?
March 27, 2005

Text: 1 Peter 1:3-9

Anytime I tune into the radio stations I listen to regularly, I am
certain to hear an On-Star advertisement. On-Star is a system installed
in some automobiles that sounds absolutely amazing. If a subscriber is
broken down on the highway or in an accident, call On-Star, and they can
send help right to you. If your vehicle is stolen, call On-Star, and they
can direct police to the vehicles location. Even if you lock yourself
out of your car, call On-Star, and they can unlock your doors for you!
Amazing stuff.

This device look familiar to anybody? [hold up cell phone] Yep, a cell
phone. Whats the stated reason almost everyone has given for getting a
cell phone? [for emergencies] Its amazing the number of emergencies
people are having these days. Unbelievable that we were ever able to get
along without cell phones. Add to cell phones and On-Star other services
such as home security systems and gated communities, and you would think
that we would be feeling all safe and secure.

Yet, the opposite seems to be happening. Even with more gadgets to keep
us safe, I think that a lot of people are feeling unsafe. Crimes are
certainly not diminishing much. Carol [Shoaff] pointed out to me a few
days ago the extraordinary number of children who have been killed in
Indiana by a parent, guardian, or caretaker in just the last couple of
weeks. Tragically, those are not good signs. Theres an old saying that,
looking at the same half-filled glass of water, the optimist would say
that it is half full, but the pessimist would say that it is half empty.
Our Spiritual Adventure topic this morning, our final one for the
Adventure, deals with the fear of gathering doom. In other words, there
are a lot of reasons to look out over our culture, our nation, our world
and see the glass half empty.

But the Christian faith calls us to see and experience all of these
things differently. Christians are not called to be pessimistic.
Christians are not called to be optimistic. Christians are called to be
faithful-istic. I just made that word up; you ought to see the spell
checker light up with that one. Christians are to be faithfulistic. As we
have read, Peter writes, Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord
Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living
hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an
inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade - kept in heaven for
you, who through faith are shielded by God's power until the coming of
the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. Keep in
mind that as far as we know, each one of the original faithful disciples
except for John died a painful, violent, martyrs death. As far as we
know, each of them was persecuted in some manner during their lives. I
dont know this as an absolute fact, but I think that every one of them
was beaten and starved and deprived of basic necessities along the way.
We could easily form the opinion that they could have become a
pessimistic lot. But they didnt. Praise be to the God and Father of our
Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a
living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead
Peter, and all the rest, remained faithulistic.

How could they do this? In the face of all they experienced and suffered;
in the face of all the injustice they saw in their world; in the face of
the false religions that sought to undo the work of the Gospel, how could
they not become pessimistic and give in to the fear of gathering doom?
They had seen the risen Jesus. They had seen the victorious Jesus. They
had seen the fulfillment of prophecies that thousands of their
forefathers had only dreamed about. No wonder they were faithfulistic.

Their Master, and ours, taught about the future. We read some of it in
Luke 21:25-28. There will be signs in the sun, moon and stars. On the
earth, nations will be in anguish and perplexity at the roaring and
tossing of the sea. Men will faint from terror, apprehensive of what is
coming on the world, for the heavenly bodies will be shaken. At that time
they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great
glory. When these things begin to take place, stand up and lift up your
heads, because your redemption is drawing near. Not even Jesus denies
the presence of gathering doom. But, we are not enslaved by it. Stand
up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.

In case you havent noticed, the world has not advanced very far from the
gathering doom that Jesus and his disciples experienced in their day.
About the time we think that we take a few steps forward, sinful human
nature corrupts even the good. There was a lot of world optimism
following the turn of the twentieth century, and then the world was
plunged into the devastation of the first world war. Following the
horrors of that war, the desire of world leaders to avoid another
situation like that led to an environment in which an even more evil,
demented, and satanic dictator was able to create power for himself that
he would never have otherwise been able to obtain. So, World War II and
its subsequent horrors were visited upon humanity. Then there was the
Soviet threat to world peace and stability. The world was able to
celebrate a little bit after they crumbled, but since then the extreme
forms of terrorism that we are experiencing today have arisen. When will
it ever end? What are we supposed to do?

Be faithfulistic! There are differing beliefs about how the end times
will unfold. There are pre-millennial, post-millennial, mid-millennial,
and other theologies. There are a variety of studies that Scripturally
defend these different theologies. In spite of differences such as these,
I do know that the Bible teaches that Jesus will return literally and
physically. When he returns, we will receive an inheritance that can
never perish, spoil or fade In his commentary, Dr. Matthew Henry
details the importance of the inheritance that Peter writes about.
Having congratulated these people on their new birth, and the hope of
everlasting life, the apostle goes on to describe that life under the
notion of an inheritance, a most proper way of speaking to these people;
for they were poor and persecuted, perhaps turned out of their
inheritances to which they were born; to allay this grievance, he tells
them they were new-born to a new inheritance, infinitely better than what
they had lost. Besides, they were most of them Jews, and so had a great
affection to the land of Canaan, as the land of their inheritance,
settled upon them by God himself; and to be driven out from abiding in
the inheritance of the Lord was looked upon as a sore judgment. To
comfort them under this they are put in mind of a noble inheritance
reserved in heaven for them, such a one that the land of Canaan was but a
mere shadow in comparison with it. (Matthew Henrys Commentary on the
New Testament, First Edition, Electronic Edition STEP Files Copyright ©
2000, Findex.com, Inc.)

For three days, as they counted their days back then - crucified on
Friday, in the tomb through Saturday, and resurrected on Sunday - the
disciples faced the fear of gathering doom. They hid because they knew
they would be next if they were found. They saw their victorious King
executed in a most cruel, humiliating manner. They were doomed, and they
knew it.

But that was Friday. That was Saturday. The doom gathered and gathered.
Peter felt it probably greater than most, since he actually denied the
three times knowing Jesus. But after Sunday, this same Peter was capable
of writing, Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In
his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the
resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead

This is what our celebration of today, Easter, is all about. The victory
has been won! Peter and all the remaining disciples stood tall against
the gathering doom; so do we. Our bulletin journal teaches this lesson:
Sometimes when it seems like everything is bad in the headlines or in
the evening news, its good to think about how wonderful it will be when
Christ appears again. This same Jesus will be returning to gather all
those who believe in his death and resurrection to live eternally with
him. Be faithfulistic, children of God. Stand tall against the fear of
gathering doom. Stand tall against every fear that satan or man would set
before. Stand tall, because Jesus Christ is Lord. Though you have not
seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you
believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for
you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls.

Rev. Charles A. Layne, pastor, First Baptist Church, Bunker Hill, IN