Untitled Sermon (9)

(NLT)

Wisdom for Life

2 Better to spend your time at funerals than at parties.

After all, everyone dies—

so the living should take this to heart.

Now, is that really believable. This is an observation from Solomon but imagine it was a command.

“Don’t go to parties . . . spend your time at funerals.”

Judging by the number of Obituaries in the paper everyday it is doable; maybe even three to four a day.!

I think the majority of us would agree we prefer parties over funerals. It is clear to us why that is.

What is it about parties that we like?

They are fun. We hang out with friends. There is usually good food. There may be presents, or games, or some kind of celebration; fun things to do.

And for those minutes we are taken away from the cares of the world and we forget about even some of the difficult things going on in our lives.

Have you ever been on your way to a party and you really aren’t feeling it. But then you get there and it isn’t until you are leaving that you realize you forgot about whatever it was that was bothering you.

None of us really enjoy pain, or difficulty, or struggles, or bad news or the kind of phone call that Kathy received last week. We are glad to be here this morning, but it is not because we thought this would be a party!

You don’t have to be very old to realize that life is not always just fun and roses. How old do you have to be to get that bruised knee, or knock on you noggin, or that flu that hits your stomach? For some children, they experience the pain of abuse or the consequences of their pregnant mother who smoked, or drank, or did crank or heroin or any other dangerous thing.

Now most children don’t sit and philosophize about their pain and usually some silly words of comfort will help. “Oh is that a boo boo. I’m so sorry.”

As you grow older silly attempts at comfort do not help!

Where did all this come from, this pain?

In the earliest stage of human history a man and a woman essentially said to God, we have a better plan, we think were smarter, we think we are wiser, we think you are keeping us from something. And sin entered the human race. The wages of sin is death. Adam and Eve were told very specifically that if they ate of the forbidden fruit they would die.

Like it or not, that nature, which we call fallen, is not wired into every human being. It is still bringing pain and sorrow and is the manifestation of our deadness toward God.

This condition manifests itself in a thousand different ways. There are varying shades of significance, varying shades of pain, varying shades of damage. But it is there.

That may be depressing if that was all there is.

The message though of the Scripture is that God knows this pain, God knows its source, but also, God knows the solution. In fact, God himself will become the solution. We call the message the gospel, it means good news. It is good news because God has come to alleviate, to eliminate, to counter act this human condition we all face.

He sent his son Jesus.to walk in our shoes. To experience our pain. To experience our temptations. To come out at the end victorious. Not to mock us, but to qualify himself as a faithful and merciful high priest and to lay down this eternally perfect life for our sins by dying on the cross and rising from the dead. Jesus is proof that sin and death have been conquered.

His offer to us is be reconciled to God and to receive new life. New life. The ultimate benefit of Jesus Christ is that, when our lives end, Never Again, will we know pain of any kind.

No more sin. NO more suffering. NO more tears. NO more cancer. NO more addictions. No more temptations. NO more walkers. NO more wheel chairs. O more prosthesis. NO more glasses.

The ultimate is, we will enter into eternity where there is no more pain, and spend it with God who created you.

However, Jesus didn’t just come to leave us here in the life of difficulty until we die and finally go to heaven. The Bible says that the thief comes to steal, to kill and to destroy, but that Jesus comes to give life and to give it more abundantly. Jesus says in , this is eternal life that they may know you the only true God.

(ESV)

3 And this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.

Too often people think of salvation as a mere ticket to heaven. Holding on. Gritting our teeth. Or, doing whatever we want because at least we have heaven.

And that is not the view of this gospel message. The Bible is very clear that the life of God comes to indwell us. We share God’s life. That life is to guide us and helps us and changes us and comforts us. Jesus came so we could enjoy a new quality of life right now. A life of joy, and peace, and direction. A life where we move away from the thinking and behavior that hurts and destroys us and others. Everyone in here, Christian or not, has said something like this; “Why do I keep doing this or that?” Why do I keep making decisions that cost me my peace, or healthy relationships, or jobs, of love or whatever it may be?

The expectation of God is that when this new life comes there will be a change. The old things will no longer be an attraction any more. What will start to attract your hearts attention will be the things of God, and the life of God and the qualities of God; love, joy, patience, gentleness.

Even though that is true, (Truth is) life is not as neat and tidy as we may like. There are a number of things in life that don’t make sense to us or that shock us. Things we have no answer for.

Our family has walked this road before.

Daniel. There wasn’t a young man more passionate about Jesus Christ that I have ever met. He was special; full of life, intelligent, athletic, respectful of older adults and fun-hearted toward children. He was the student body president of Azusa Pacific College..

September 1994. A switch was flipped in is brain and in his chemistry Then in March of 1995bmy sister and her husband got the same kind of phone call that Tom and Kathy got this week.

Psychologist. Some of his friends wouldn’t come to the funeral because for Daniel to take his own life was so contradictory to who Daniel was. They thought Daniel had made some stupid decision and lost his whole future.

Sometimes life is far more complicated than our simple solution will allow. Some can have the life of God indwelling them and yet struggle very deeply, and often in ways that many don’t. We are often left with a lot of questions because of this. Let me tell you though three things that I know.

First, is the verses found on the back of your memorial folder.

(KJV 1900)

38 For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, 39 Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

but that in no way diminishes God’s grace and God’s mercy.

Second, is the danger of being judgmental or self-righteous.

When we do that we have forgotten the parable of the man who was forgiven 1,000,000,000 and then and went and put the screws on a friend who owed him a dollar. Forgive as God in Christ has forgiven you.

We are all indebted to God at a very high level and high cost.

Third, we are called to come alongside others and help them.

I say this carefully . . . but Tom and Kathy have devoted their lives to help people like Faith and many many others. To try and level the playing field, to try and neutralize the damage that many of this children have experiences, to try and give them hope and point them to Jesus and help them see that there is hope for a new life. When you enter into the field that they have entered into you know upfront that you will now save everybody. You will have heartbreak. But it is a call.

I could not do what they have done. But I am not excuse from the mission of life to not only love God but to love others. And to help them in any way that God has gifted me.

At the turn of the century, went to a physician and said, 'Doctor, you've got to help me. I can't go on with life. Please help me end it all.' And the doctor said, 'Now, now, my friend, you mustn't talk that way. You must laugh and smile and enjoy life. Make friends. Mix with people. Why not go to the circus tonight and see the great clown Debereau. He will make you laugh and forget your troubles.' The man looked into the face of the physician with his sad eyes and said in a painful whisper, 'But doctor, I am Debereau.'"

(ESV)

14 And we urge you, brothers, admonish the idle, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with them all.

Here’s the deal. There is an ultimate place where suffering is over.

Finish :

I conclude this morning asking you to think about Solomon’s words.

To think about our relationship to God. Christ to come and cleanse us from sin and help us to live in a new way.

The opposite of no pain, sorrow, suffering, tear. Separated from God you will know the opposite.

It is not a choice that God will force upon you but it is a choice he wants you to make. So much so he sent His Son!